Maritime Wiki
Long-form, regulation-cited explainers on IMO and class-society rules, ship types, marine engineering, chartering, and cargo.
The wiki holds the long-form maritime encyclopedia: full explainers on regulations, ship systems, and commercial practice, each citing the primary instrument it draws from. Browse the articles below, or search from the header.
- A-Frame and Column Design in Two-Stroke Engines
The frame box of a two-stroke crosshead engine: welded construction, crosshead guides, stay bolts, engine seating, and the IACS UR M9, M10 and M67 regime.
- ABC DZC Engine: Medium-Speed Marine Diesel
Guide to the Anglo Belgian Corporation DZC engine: 256 mm bore, inline and V builds, 1,032 to 4,000 kW, dual-fuel and BeHydro hydrogen variants.
- Abidjan Convention 1981: West Africa marine environment
1981 UNEP regional-seas convention for the Atlantic coast from Mauritania to South Africa; 22 contracting parties; one in-force emergency protocol.
- ABS (American Bureau of Shipping): leading US-headquartered classification society
ABS founded 1862 New York; HQ Houston; ~12,000 classed vessels (~280 Mt GT, third-largest); A1 + AMS + ACCU notations; offshore + LNG leadership.
- Admiralty coefficient
The Admiralty coefficient links displacement, speed, and shaft power for first-pass ship powering: C equals displacement^2/3 times V^3 over P.
- AFS Convention 2001: Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships, TBT ban + cybutryne
2001 IMO convention banning TBT (in force 2008) and cybutryne (MEPC.331(76), no new application from Jan 2023); AFS Certificate; copper/silicone alternatives.
- Air Lubrication Systems
Air lubrication systems (ALS) inject a layer of micro-bubbles or air-cavity beneath a ship's flat-bottomed hull to reduce frictional resistance.
- AIS and ECDIS
AIS and ECDIS are the two mandatory shipboard navigation electronics under SOLAS V/19.
- AIS-SART: AIS Search and Rescue Transmitter for survival craft
AIS-SART under SOLAS III/6.2.2 + IV/14 + MSC.246(83); 161.975/162.025 MHz AIS Message 14 + 1; 96-hour battery; placement in life raft locker.
- Akasaka Diesels: Japanese Coastal Marine Engines
History and product range of Akasaka Diesels: Japanese medium-bore four-stroke marine engines for coastal cargo, fishing, and ferries, 1910 to present.
- Alternative Marine Fuels: The Decarbonization Ladder
How the marine fuel ladder compares on energy density, well-to-wake CO2e, toxicity and IGF Code safety, bunkering readiness, and cost.
- Alumina: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
Alumina is a Group C solid bulk cargo under the IMSBC Code, carried as a fine abrasive powder whose dust governs hold preparation, loading and discharge.
- Ammonia as marine fuel
Ammonia (NH₃) as marine fuel: carbon-free combustion, production routes, engine technology, toxicity, bunkering.
- Ammonia Marine Engines: Technology and Outlook
How ammonia-fuelled two-stroke marine engines burn NH3 with a diesel pilot, the MAN and WinGD programmes, N2O and slip, and the IGF safety framework.
- Ammonium Nitrate Fertilizer: IMSBC Schedules
IMSBC Code schedules for ammonium nitrate fertilizer: UN 2067, UN 2071, Amendment 06-21 reclassification, oxidizer hazards, and bulk carriage controls.
- Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC) Marine Engines
History and product range of Anglo Belgian Corporation, the Ghent-based medium-speed four-stroke diesel engine maker founded in 1912.
- Annex IV Baltic Special Area: Passenger-Ship Sewage
MARPOL Annex IV Reg 11.3 Baltic Sea special-area sewage rule for passenger ships: nutrient-removing STP, phase-in dates, Reg 13.
- Annex V HME cargo residues, E-waste and hold-wash water
MARPOL Annex V Appendix I HME criteria for solid bulk cargo residues, the IMSBC shipper declaration, hold-wash water discharge, GRB Part II and E-waste.
- Annual Efficiency Ratio (AER): the shipping carbon metric
The Annual Efficiency Ratio (AER) measures a ship's annual CO2 per deadweight-tonne-mile, and drives Poseidon Principles and Sea Cargo Charter disclosure.
- Antarctic Special Area and Polar Code: integrated MARPOL plus SOLAS regime
Antarctic Special Area under MARPOL Annex I/IV/V plus Polar Code MARPOL + SOLAS, HFO ban from 2024, and IAATO industry self-regulation.
- Antarctic Treaty 1959: Foundational treaty for peaceful + scientific use
1959 Washington DC treaty establishing the Antarctic Treaty System; 14 articles freezing territorial claims; 56 parties as of 2026; SCAR + ATCM + CEP.
- Anti-Heeling Systems: Ship Heeling Control
How marine anti-heeling systems use wing tanks, pumps, and inclinometer feedback to hold a ship upright during cargo operations.
- Antigua Convention 2002: NE Pacific Marine Environment
Framework convention covering the NE Pacific coast (Colombia to Mexico); adopted 18 Feb 2002; not yet in force as of 2026; no protocols adopted.
- AR5 GWP100 in maritime emissions accounting
IPCC AR5 GWP100 values (CO2=1, CH4=28, N2O=265) used by MEPC.391(81), FuelEU Maritime, and EU ETS; methane slip implications; GWP20 advocacy.
- Atlas-Polar Marine Engines
The Polar marine two-stroke of AB Diesels Motorer and Atlas Diesel, named after Amundsen's 1912 telegram, and carried on by NOHAB, British Polar and Wartsila.
- Autonomous Ships (MASS): The Regulatory State
What a MASS is, the four IMO degrees of autonomy, the regulatory scoping exercise, the MASS Code timeline, MASS trials guidelines, and the legal gaps.
- Ballast Water Exchange Operations: D-1 Guide
How ballast water exchange works under BWM Convention Regulation D-1: sequential, flow-through, dilution methods, stability, record-keeping, and PSC.
- Ballast Water Management Systems: IMO and USCG Guide
Ballast water management systems: BWM Convention D-1/D-2 standards, BWMS Code MEPC.300(72), USCG approval, treatment technology, and port-state control.
- Baltic Dry Index and freight indices
How the Baltic Dry Index, the tanker, gas and container freight indices are built: the route baskets, their weights, the panellist method and the TCE conversion.
- Baltic Sea SECA + NECA: MARPOL Annex VI emission control areas
Baltic SECA (2006, 0.10% sulphur cap from 2015) and Baltic NECA (2021, Tier III NOx) under MARPOL Annex VI.
- Barcelona Convention 1976/1995: Mediterranean protection
Barcelona Convention 1976 (1995 amendments in force 2004), seven Protocols, 22 Contracting Parties, UNEP/MAP, and Mediterranean SECA 2025.
- Bareboat Charter Party: Possession, Liability and Finance
The demise charter in full: what possession transfers, BARECON 2017's five parts, who is the ISM Company, arrest and pollution liability, and finance leases.
- Barytes (Barite): IMSBC Group C Schedule and Carriage
Barytes is the Group C baryte ore in the IMSBC Code, shipped as barite for drilling mud, and it is not the Group A flotation chemical grade that can liquefy.
- Base Target Annual GFI: The Looser Tier of Draft Reg 35
The base target annual GFI is the looser of the two draft IMO fuel-intensity targets. Above it a ship owes a Tier 2 deficit at USD 380 per tonne CO2eq.
- Battery-Electric Ferries: Technology and Operations
How all-electric ferries work: battery chemistry, shore charging, safety rules, Norway''s 90+ vessel fleet, global expansion, and route economics.
- Battery-Hybrid and Full-Electric Propulsion
Battery-hybrid propulsion combines a conventional combustion-engine power plant with a lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) to enable peak.
- Bauxite IMSBC Schedule: Group A and C Rules
IMSBC schedules for bauxite: Group C coarse ore and the Group A bauxite fines, the dynamic-separation hazard, and the Bulk Jupiter loss.
- Bergen B33:45 Medium-Speed Four-Stroke Engine
The Bergen B33:45 medium-speed four-stroke engine: 330 mm bore, 450 mm stroke, 600 kW per cylinder, L6 to V16, built by Langley-owned Bergen Engines.
- Berthing Energy and Fender Selection
The PIANC berthing energy formula and its four coefficients, design berthing velocity by ship size, fender types compared, and the hull pressure limit.
- Beta Marine Engines: UK Mariniser Profile
Beta Marine (est. 1987, Gloucestershire) marinises Kubota diesel blocks into propulsion and generator units for yachts, narrowboats, and workboats.
- Bill of lading
A bill of lading is the foundational shipping document serving as receipt for cargo, evidence of the contract of carriage.
- BIMCO CII and Emissions Clauses
BIMCO's CII Operations Clause 2022 and EEXI Transition Clause 2021 allocate carbon-intensity and EEXI compliance risk between owners and charterers.
- Biofuels in shipping
Biofuels in shipping covers FAME, HVO and BTL drop-in alternatives to fossil marine fuels, their feedstocks, LCA emissions, IMO/EU regulatory treatment.
- Black Carbon and Arctic Shipping
Black carbon is the light-absorbing soot from incomplete marine fuel combustion that darkens Arctic snow and ice and accelerates melt.
- Block coefficient and hull form coefficients
Block coefficient Cb and the four companion hull form coefficients define hull fullness, govern resistance and powering, and appear in EEDI, EEXI.
- BNWAS: Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm System, SOLAS V/19
BNWAS under SOLAS V/19.2.2.3 and MSC.282(86): 3 to 12 minute dormant period, three audible alarm stages, 150 GT carriage and a phase-in that ran to 2018.
- Bolinder Hot-Bulb Marine Engines
History of J. & C.G. Bolinders Mekaniska Verkstad, Stockholm: Swedish hot-bulb semi-diesel marine engine pioneer and the road to Bolinder-Munktell.
- Bolinder-Munktell: Swedish Engine Maker
History of AB Bolinder-Munktell, the 1932 Swedish merger uniting Bolinders' marine hot-bulb legacy with Munktells' engineering, later taken over by Volvo.
- Bollard Pull and Tug Operations: Trials, Types, Escort
Bollard pull explained: the certified trial and its conditions, thrust per kilowatt by tug type, escort steering force, girting, and port towage practice.
- Bonn Agreement 1983: North Sea oil-pollution response cooperation
1983 North Sea agreement for oil and harmful-substances pollution response; 9 parties plus the EU; ~2,000 surveillance flights a year; OPRC regional pact.
- Bow thruster and stern thruster
Bow thrusters and stern thrusters are transverse propulsion devices that improve ship manoeuvrability at low speed.
- Brown Coal Briquettes: IMSBC Code Schedule
IMSBC Code schedule for brown coal briquettes: Group B, self-heating, spontaneous combustion, methane emission, CO monitoring, and bulk carriage controls.
- Bucharest Convention 1992: Black Sea pollution protection
Regional sea convention with 6 riparian parties and 4 protocols covering land-based sources, dumping, oil emergencies, and biodiversity.
- Bulbous Bow Retrofits
A bulbous bow retrofit replaces the old bulb with a geometry optimized for the ship's actual slow-steaming speed and draft.
- Bulk carrier
Bulk carriers are single-deck cargo ships designed to carry dry unpackaged commodities in holds, forming the backbone of global raw-material trade.
- Bulk Carrier Size Classes Explained
Dry bulk carrier size classes from Handysize to Valemax: the deadweight bands, the canal and port limits that define each, and the Baltic indices.
- Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF): Formula, Clauses and Law
Bunker adjustment factor (BAF): the liner fuel surcharge and charter-party bunker escalation clause, how each is calculated and indexed, and the law around it.
- Bunker Delivery Note: MARPOL Annex VI Guide
The Bunker Delivery Note records fuel oil delivered to a ship, mandated by MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 18, retained 3 years with a sealed 12-month sample.
- Bunker Quality and ISO 8217 Marine Fuel Standards
ISO 8217 marine fuel spec: distillate and residual grades, key parameters, cat fines, CCAI, VLSFO stability, and the bunker dispute process.
- Bunkers Convention 2001: civil liability for bunker oil
Strict liability on the registered shipowner for bunker spills from non-tankers, LLMC limitation, the Blue Card regime, and the post-Wakashio fund debate.
- Bureau Veritas (BV): French classification society + 5th-largest by tonnage
Bureau Veritas founded 1828 Antwerp; HQ Paris La Défense; ~12,000 classed vessels (~150 Mt GT); 5th-largest IACS member; ammonia-fueled ship pioneer 2023.
- Burmeister and Wain: History of a Marine Diesel Pioneer
History of Burmeister and Wain (B&W), the Copenhagen firm that built MS Selandia in 1912 and whose engine lineage became MAN B&W slow-speed two-strokes.
- BWM Convention 2004: Ballast Water Management
The BWM Convention (2004) controls invasive species spread via ship ballast water, mandating D-2 treatment for all ships from 8 September 2024 as the final D-1 phase-out date.
- Canadian Arctic Shipping Pollution-Prevention Regime
Canada's Arctic shipping pollution regime: the AWPPA, ASSPPR 2017, NORDREG, UNCLOS Article 234, and the IMO Polar Code; not a MARPOL ECA.
- CARB At-Berth Regulation
The CARB Ocean-Going Vessels At-Berth Regulation requires vessels at California berths to control emissions with a CARB-approved strategy.
- Cargo Hold Preparation Standards
Cleanliness standards, inspection regimes, and regulatory requirements for dry bulk cargo hold preparation on bulk carriers.
- Cargo Hold Ventilation: Dew Point and Sweat Control
How ships prevent cargo sweat and ship sweat using the dew-point rule, IMSBC Code ventilation schedules, and surface vs through ventilation.
- Cargo Insurance and Institute Cargo Clauses
A comprehensive guide to marine cargo insurance, Institute Cargo Clauses A, B, and C (1/1/82 and 1/1/09), war and strike clauses, valuation.
- Cargo Insured Value: CIF Plus 10% and the Sum Insured
The sum insured on a marine cargo policy: CIF plus 10%, the Incoterms 2020 and UCP 600 minimums, valued policies, underinsurance, and premium arithmetic.
- Cargo Liquefaction: TML, FMP, and Group A Controls
How Group A bulk cargoes liquefy above the transportable moisture limit: the soil mechanics, TML testing, and IMSBC Code controls.
- Cargo Securing Manual and CSS Code
The Cargo Securing Manual and CSS Code govern how ships stow and secure all cargo. Mandatory under SOLAS VI/5 and VII/5 since 1998.
- Cargo Tank Heating on Tankers: Coils, Media and Clauses
How tankers heat cargo with steam coils, thermal oil or deck heaters: IBC Code chapter 7, Codex and FOSFA limits, class rules, and charter heating clauses.
- Cartagena Convention 1983: Wider Caribbean Marine Environment
Cartagena Convention 1983: legally binding treaty for the Wider Caribbean Region, with three Protocols on oil spills, SPAW, and land-based pollution.
- Caterpillar 3500 Series: High-Speed Marine Engine
The Caterpillar 3500 marine engine family (3508/3512/3516): 170 mm bore, ratings, applications, and Tier 4 / IMO III emissions options.
- Caterpillar C280: Medium-Speed Marine Engine
Caterpillar C280 medium-speed marine engine: 280 mm bore, 3600-series lineage, 1,730-6,000 kW ratings, offshore, naval, and diesel-electric applications.
- Caterpillar Marine: Corporate History
History of Caterpillar Marine: Cat Inc. founding, the 3500 and C-series high-speed engines, the 1997 MaK acquisition, M-series medium-speed line.
- CBM and chargeable weight in freight
CBM, the dimensional-weight divisors for air, express, road and sea LCL, the container volume and payload ceilings, and the SOLAS verified gross mass rule.
- Cement Clinkers: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC schedule for cement clinkers: Group C, hot-loading, water reactivity, caustic dust, abrasion, and hold coating protection.
- Cement: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code schedule for bulk cement: Group C, aeration and fluidisation hazard, dust, water reactivity, pneumatic cement carriers, hold preparation.
- Chartering and Charter Parties: How Ships Are Hired
How a ship is hired: the four charter structures, who pays what under each, the BIMCO standard forms, the risk-bearing clauses, and the fixture process.
- Chemical tanker
Chemical tankers carry liquid chemicals in bulk under the IBC Code, classified by hazard and ship type.
- China DCS: Ship Energy Reporting Regime
China MSA's MHF 2022 No. 164 ship energy consumption data regime: scope, DECA sulphur rules, and triple-reporting burden alongside IMO DCS and EU MRV.
- Chrome Ore: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code schedule for chromite ore: Group C with no Group A limb, tank top loading limits, dust hazard, and the South Africa to China trade.
- CII Corrective Action Plan: SEEMP Part III
How ships rated D for three consecutive years or E for one year must develop a corrective action plan under MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 28.10.
- Classification society
A classification society publishes rules for ship construction and machinery, surveys ships against them, and acts as a recognized organization for flag states.
- ClassNK (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai): leading Japanese classification society
ClassNK founded 1899 Tokyo; ~9,500 classed vessels (~270 Mt GT); 4th-largest IACS member; ~90% of Japanese-flag fleet; LNG + methanol leadership.
- CLC 1992: civil liability for oil pollution damage
The 1992 CLC Protocol channels strict liability to the registered shipowner for persistent oil spills, with SDR-per-ton limits to 89.77 million SDR.
- Coal: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code COAL schedule: dual Group A and B classification, self-heating, methane and CO hazards, liquefaction, ventilation, monitoring, and incidents.
- Cold ironing and shore power (OPS): the guide
Cold ironing supplies a berthed ship with grid electricity through the IEC/IEEE/ISO 80005 connection, cutting at-berth auxiliary-engine emissions.
- COLREGs Convention
COLREGs is the IMO Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, governing vessel conduct to prevent collisions worldwide.
- COLREGs Lights and Shapes: Rules 20 to 31
The Lights and Shapes section of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) comprises Rules 20 through 31.
- COLREGs Sound and Light Signals: Rules 32 to 37
The Sound and Light Signals section of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) comprises Rules 32 through 37.
- COLREGs Steering and Sailing Rules: Rules 4 to 19
The Steering and Sailing Rules section of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) comprises Rules 4 through 19.
- Common Rail Fuel Injection: Two-Stroke Engines
How common rail fuel injection works on two-stroke crosshead marine engines: WinGD RT-flex, the MAN ME-C servo-oil system, and NOx control.
- Container ship
Container ships are cargo vessels purpose-built to carry intermodal containers, forming the backbone of global manufactured-goods trade since the 1960s.
- Container Ship Size Classes: Feeder to ULCV
Container ship size classes from feeder to ULCV, the TEU bands, and the Panama and Malacca constraints that fix each beam, draft, and capacity.
- Container, Dry-Bulk, and Liquid Terminals
How container, dry-bulk, and liquid-bulk marine terminals differ in equipment, berth design, and capacity, plus the terminal profiles indexed here.
- Continuous Survey of Hull and Machinery (CSH/CMS)
CSH and CMS spread the class renewal survey across five years: IACS UR Z6/Z18, the 2024 ESP Code, UR S19, UR W11, remote surveys and continuous compliance.
- Cooper-Bessemer Marine Diesel and Gas Engines
History of Cooper-Bessemer, the US large-bore builder of marine diesels, gensets, and GMV/GMW integral gas-engine compressors.
- Copper Concentrate: IMSBC Code Schedule
IMSBC Code Group A schedule for copper concentrate: TML, liquefaction hazard, test methods, gas hazards, Chile-Peru-to-Asia trade, and master's duties.
- Costa Concordia 2012: cruise ship grounding + salvage off Isola del Giglio
Costa Concordia grounding off Isola del Giglio, 13 January 2012; 32 deaths; Captain Schettino convicted; USD 1.5bn parbuckling salvage in 2014.
- Cross Curves of Stability and KN Tables
How KN cross curves are computed, read, and used to derive the GZ righting-arm curve for any loaded condition under the IMO 2008 IS Code.
- Cross Scavenging in Legacy Two-Stroke Designs
Cross scavenging: port arrangement, deflector-crown pistons, gas-exchange losses, and why loop then uniflow displaced it in marine two-stroke engines.
- Crosshead Diesel Engine: Architecture Overview
How the crosshead configuration isolates cylinder from crankcase, removes liner side thrust, and allows separate oil systems on two-stroke engines.
- Crossley Brothers: Manchester Marine Engines
History of Crossley Brothers, the Manchester firm that brought the Otto gas engine to Britain and built marine diesel engines for ships and submarines.
- Crude Oil Washing and Tank Cleaning on Oil Tankers
Crude oil washing, water washing and gas-freeing of oil tanker cargo tanks: COW programs, inert gas, slop tanks, load-on-top, ODME limits and ORB entries.
- Cruise and Passenger-Ship Operations and Safety
Cruise and passenger-ship scale, the SOLAS passenger regime, Safe Return to Port, damage stability, life-saving appliances, and ro-pax versus cruise.
- CSSC Marine Engine Subsidiaries: Group Structure
Corporate history and production profile of CSSC's marine engine subsidiaries: HHM, CMD, DMD, YMD, QMD, CMP, and the WinGD design house they own.
- Cummins Marine: Corporate History
Corporate history of Cummins Marine: Cummins Inc. founding, the QSK and QSM high-speed families, and decarbonization.
- Cummins QSK Series: High-Speed Marine Engine
Reference to the Cummins QSK marine engine series: QSK19, QSK38, QSK50, QSK60, and QSK95 outputs, applications, and IMO/EPA emissions compliance.
- Cylinder Bore and Stroke Selection for Marine Engines
Bore and stroke selection for marine two-stroke diesels: S/B ratio evolution, mean piston speed limits, propeller matching, and EEDI/EEXI drivers.
- Cylinder Compression Pressure (Pcomp) Analysis
How Pcomp is measured, what the polytropic relation predicts, and how deviations diagnose rings, liner, valves, and scavenge faults on marine diesels.
- Cylinder Cover Design and Cooling: Two-Stroke Marine Engines
Two-stroke marine diesel cylinder cover: forged design, cooling water path, valve bores, hydraulic stud tightening, crack sites, class certification and overhaul.
- Cylinder Liner Design: Two-Stroke Marine Engines
Cylinder liner design for two-stroke marine engines: alloyed iron, bore cooling, plateau honing, port geometry, lubrication quills, and thermal stress.
- Cylinder Liner Wear Monitoring: Methods and Limits
Wear mechanisms, measurement methods, wear rates, and renewal criteria for cylinder liners on large two-stroke marine diesel engines.
- Cylinder Lubrication Systems: Two-Stroke Engines
How cylinder lubrication systems work on slow-speed two-stroke marine engines: oil film, BN chemistry, feed rate, system types, and condition monitoring.
- Cylinder Oil Base Number and Fuel Sulphur
How cylinder oil base number (BN) matches fuel sulphur on two-stroke marine engines: chemistry, grade selection, and drain-oil monitoring.
- Cylinder Oil Feed Rate Optimisation
How to find the lowest safe cylinder oil feed rate on two-stroke marine engines: ACC algorithm, sweep tests, drain-oil BN targets, and economics.
- Cylinder Peak Pressure (Pmax) on Marine Engines
Peak firing pressure (Pmax) on marine diesels: measurement, timing and load relationships, cylinder balancing, fault diagnosis, and structural limits.
- Daihatsu Diesel (Infinearth) Marine Engines
Profile of Daihatsu Diesel (now Daihatsu Infinearth): DE, DK, DL medium-speed four-stroke marine engines and auxiliary gensets.
- Damage stability
Damage stability defines a ship's ability to survive flooding after collision or grounding.
- Danube River Basin: Navigation and Governance
Danube River Basin drains 801,463 km2 across 19 countries; navigation governed by the 1948 Belgrade Convention, water quality by the 1994 ICPDR regime.
- Decarbonization and Alternative Marine Fuels
Shipping decarbonization hub: IMO 2023 GHG Strategy, Net-Zero Framework and GFI, EU ETS and FuelEU, the efficiency indices, and the fuel ladder.
- Decarbonization Technologies for Ships
Onboard efficiency and retrofit technologies that cut ship carbon intensity: energy-saving devices, wind assist, waste-heat recovery, and carbon capture.
- Demurrage: Charterparty Law and Practice
Demurrage is the agreed compensation paid by a voyage charterer to the shipowner for detaining the vessel beyond contractual laytime.
- Detroit Diesel 71 and 92 Series Marine Engines
Detroit Diesel 71 and 92 Series: GM two-stroke uniflow diesels with Roots blower scavenging, used in WWII landing craft and workboats until 1995.
- Deutz Marine Engines: From Otto to TCD
Deutz AG marine engine history: the Otto four-stroke origin, the KHD and MWM lineage, the modern TCD high-speed range, and Tier III work.
- Diammonium Phosphate: IMSBC Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code schedule for diammonium phosphate (DAP): Group C, ammonia evolution hazards, hygroscopic caking, hold preparation, and bulk carriage controls.
- Direct Compliance Target Annual GFI: Draft Reg 35.1.2
The direct compliance target annual GFI is the stricter draft IMO fuel-intensity target. A ship below it earns surplus units equal to its positive balance.
- Direct Reduced Iron: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC schedules for direct reduced iron: DRI (A) hot-briquetted, (B) lumps/pellets, (C) by-product fines, (D) passivated fines, and the hydrogen hazard.
- DNV (Det Norske Veritas): world's largest classification society
DNV: founded 1864 in Oslo, merged with GL in 2013; world's largest class society by tonnage (~310 Mt GT, ~13,500 vessels); Norwegian Foundation.
- Doxford Opposed-Piston Marine Oil Engines
History and engineering of the Doxford opposed-piston two-stroke marine oil engine, built by William Doxford & Sons of Sunderland.
- Draught Survey for Bulk Cargo: Full Method
How a bulk-cargo draught survey works: displacement before and after, the quarter-mean, trim/list/deflection and density corrections, and deductibles.
- Dynamic Positioning: How DP Holds a Ship on Station
What dynamic positioning is: the control loop, position references, thrusters, the DP1/DP2/DP3 equipment classes, FMEA redundancy, and DP operations.
- EEXI: Engine Power Limitation and ShaPoLi
Engine Power Limitation (EPL) and Shaft Power Limitation (ShaPoLi) are the two ways existing ships cap propulsive power to meet the Required EEXI.
- EGR Retrofit on Two-Stroke Marine Engines
How exhaust gas recirculation retrofits bring slow-speed two-stroke engines into IMO NOx Tier III compliance, with the trade-offs vs SCR.
- EMD Marine Engines: 567, 645, and 710 Series
History and specifications of EMD two-stroke marine diesels: the 567, 645, and 710 series, from WWII LSTs to Tier 4 ferries under Progress Rail.
- Emission Control Areas
Emission Control Areas (ECAs) are sea regions designated under MARPOL Annex VI within which tighter sulphur.
- Emissions Monitoring and Reporting: MRV and DCS
How the EU MRV system, the IMO DCS, and the UK and China regimes monitor, report, and verify ship CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions above 5,000 GT.
- Enclosed Space Entry on Ships: Testing, Permit, Rescue
Enclosed space entry on ships: which spaces count, the MSC.581(110) atmosphere criteria, testing order, the permit to work, attendant duties and rescue.
- Energy-Saving Devices (ESDs)
Energy-saving devices (ESDs) are propulsion-improving appendages fitted forward.
- Engine Alignment and Bedplate Flexure
Crankshaft deflection measurement, hull-girder effects, shaft alignment methods, and bearing-load verification for large marine diesel installations.
- Engine Bedplate Construction: Two-Stroke Marine Diesels
How the fabricated steel bedplate of a large two-stroke marine diesel engine is built, how it carries firing loads, and how it ties into the hull.
- Engine Derating for Slow Steaming
How permanent de-rating of a two-stroke main engine's SMCR optimizes SFOC for a lower service speed, versus a reversible EPL or ShaPoLi cap.
- Engine Emergency Stop Circuits: Shutdown and Slowdown
How marine engine emergency stop circuits work: shutdown vs slowdown logic, overspeed trip, bridge override, air-flap stops, SOLAS and IACS requirements.
- Engine Governor Systems: Types, Droop, and Load Sharing
How marine engine governors control speed: mechanical, hydraulic, and electronic types, droop vs isochronous modes, and the separate overspeed protection.
- Engine Load Diagram: Layout, Limits, and Propeller Curves
How the L1-L4 layout diagram, SMCR selection, torque limits, and propeller law govern the operating envelope of slow-speed two-stroke marine engines.
- Engine Performance Monitoring: PMI Systems
How PMI systems measure in-cylinder pressure to produce indicator diagrams, derive IMEP and Pmax, balance cylinders, and guide maintenance.
- Engine Power and BMEP: Core Relationships
Brake mean effective pressure, indicated power, friction losses, torque, mean piston speed, and specific output explained for marine diesel engines.
- Engine Reversing System: Direct-Drive Marine Engines
How marine engines reverse for astern running: cam-shift and electronic re-phasing, the maneuvering sequence, and CPP/geared/electric alternatives.
- Engine Room Automation: UMS and E0 Systems
SOLAS II-1 rules, class UMS/E0 notations, AMS, alarms, bridge control, PMS, IAS, and IACS cyber rules for unattended machinery spaces.
- Engine Room Environmental Management
How ships manage oily bilge water, sludge, garbage, and air emissions from the engine room under MARPOL Annexes I, V, and VI.
- Engine Sea Trial Procedures: New-Build Ships
Engine sea-trial procedures: the shop/factory acceptance test, quay trials, the progressive speed and MCR runs, crash-stop, and governor and SFOC tests.
- Engine Telegraph and Bridge Remote Control Systems
Engine order telegraph and bridge remote control: control-position transfer, the telegraph logger, VDR integration, and SOLAS Chapter II-1 requirements.
- Engine Torsional Vibration Analysis: Marine Shafting
Torsional vibration of marine propulsion shafting: mass-elastic modelling, critical speeds, barred speed range, class approval, and damper selection.
- Engine-Room Automation and Monitoring
The unmanned machinery space: UMS, E0, AUT and ACCU class notations, the integrated automation system, and condition-based maintenance.
- English Electric: British Marine and Locomotive Diesels
History of English Electric diesels: the Preston marine, naval, and locomotive engine builder, the K and CSVT ranges, and the path to MAN.
- EPIRB: 406 MHz Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon
EPIRB under SOLAS IV/7 + GMDSS: 406 MHz Cospas-Sarsat distress beacon; Category I float-free; GEOSAR + LEOSAR + MEOSAR; <10 min detection; 5-year battery.
- EU ETS allowance allocation for shipping
How shipping companies obtain and surrender EU Allowances under Directive (EU) 2023/959: full auctioning, no free allocation, and the 40/70/100% phase-in.
- EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime: double compliance
EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime each impose a distinct bill on ships above 5,000 GT on EEA voyages; the IMO Net-Zero Framework adds a global third layer.
- EU ETS enforcement: penalty, naming, expulsion order
How the maritime EU ETS is enforced: the EUR 100 per tonne excess emissions penalty, name publication, the Article 16(11a) expulsion order and national regimes.
- EU ETS for shipping: scope, EUA liability, phase-in
How the EU Emissions Trading System applies to maritime from 2024: which voyages count, the 40/70/100 phase-in, and who surrenders the EUAs.
- EU ETS Innovation Fund maritime eligibility (Article 10a(8))
EUR 30bn EU Innovation Fund maritime stream: e-fuel production, zero-emission ships, shore-power infrastructure under Article 10a(8).
- EU ETS Maritime Scope and Phase-In, 2024 to 2030
Which ships, voyages and gases the EU ETS covers for shipping under Directive 2003/87/EC, the 40, 70 and 100 percent phase-in, and the 2030 derogations.
- EU ETS surrender mechanics for shipping
The EU ETS cycle for ships: 31 March verified report, 30 September EUA surrender, EUR 100 indexed penalty, and Article 16 enforcement.
- EU Maritime Carbon Pricing: ETS and FuelEU
The EU's two maritime carbon measures: the ETS on emissions from 2024 and FuelEU's well-to-wake intensity limit from 2025, and how they interact.
- EU MRV Regulation 2015/757
EU Regulation 2015/757 (the Maritime MRV Regulation) requires ships of 5,000 GT and above calling at EU ports to monitor.
- EU MRV Voyage Data: What Ships Must Record
What voyage-level data the EU MRV Regulation requires ships to monitor per trip: fuel, CO2, CH4, N2O, distance, cargo, and transport work.
- EUA Market Mechanics for Shipping
The EU Allowance (EUA) market is the secondary trading and auction infrastructure for the EU Emissions Trading System.
- Exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS): marine SOx scrubbers
An exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS) is a shipboard SOx scrubber accepted under MARPOL Annex VI Reg.4 as equivalent to meeting the Reg.14 sulphur limits.
- Exhaust Valve Actuation in Two-Stroke Marine Engines
How hydraulic-electronic exhaust valve actuation replaced cam-driven systems on two-stroke crosshead engines: materials, timing, and maintenance.
- Fairbanks Morse Marine Engines: OP Diesel and Naval Power
History of Fairbanks Morse and its opposed-piston diesel, SEMT-Pielstick license work, and role as the principal US Navy marine engine supplier.
- Fish Meal: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC schedules for fish meal: Group B self-heating, antioxidant and moisture limits, UN numbers, spontaneous-combustion risk, and temperature monitoring.
- Flag state and flag of convenience
Flag state and flag of convenience explains how ship nationality, open registries, and international law interact to govern the world fleet.
- FONAR and BDN: Sulphur Compliance Evidence at PSC
How the bunker delivery note, MARPOL sample and FONAR form the sulphur compliance evidence a PSC officer checks under MARPOL Annex VI Regulations 14 and 18.
- Force Majeure in Shipping Contracts
Force majeure clauses in shipping contracts: structure, English-law frustration, BIMCO 2022, burden of proof, and RTI v MUR Shipping [2024] UKSC 18.
- Forward freight agreements (FFAs)
The cash-settled freight derivative: contract specifications by venue, FFABA terms, Asian settlement, clearing and margin, the regulatory frame and basis risk.
- Four-Stroke Marine Diesel Engine Fundamentals
How four-stroke marine diesel engines work: the trunk-piston cycle, valve timing, medium and high-speed classes, and dual-fuel variants.
- FPSO: Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel
FPSO offshore production unit; spread-moor, turret-moor, and disconnectable subtypes; converted-tanker vs purpose-built; about 250 in service worldwide.
- Free surface effect
Free surface effect reduces a ship's effective metacentric height when slack tanks contain liquid.
- Freeboard and Reserve Buoyancy
Freeboard is the vertical distance between the waterline and the freeboard deck (typically the uppermost continuous weatherproof deck) at the deck side.
- Freight Forwarding and Incoterms: The Trade Chain
How a shipment moves from ex-works to landed cost: the forwarder, house and master B/L, Incoterms 2020 risk, customs duty, and insurance.
- FSS Code: International Code for Fire Safety Systems
FSS Code (IMO MSC.98(73)): the mandatory SOLAS II-2 technical standard for shipboard fire-safety systems, chapter by chapter.
- Fuel Switching Operations: MARPOL Annex VI
HFO-to-MGO changeover procedures, ECA sulphur limits, viscosity control, FONAR, and scrubber compliance under MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 14.
- Fuel Valve Design for Two-Stroke Marine Engines
Fuel valve and injector design for two-stroke crosshead marine engines: nozzle geometry, atomization, slide-type valves, common-rail, and NOx limits.
- FuelEU Compliance Balance: Banking, Borrowing, Pooling
How FuelEU Maritime turns a ship's GHG intensity into a compliance balance, and the Article 20 banking and borrowing and Article 21 pooling rules that settle it.
- FuelEU Maritime explained: the EU GHG-intensity regime
How FuelEU Maritime Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 sets a well-to-wake GHG-intensity limit, the reduction trajectory, RFNBO reward, OPS rule and penalties.
- FuelEU Maritime: WtW GHG-Intensity Formula
FuelEU Maritime Article 4 GHG intensity formula: GWP100 weights, methane slip, Annex II defaults, and the six-step WtW reduction trajectory to 2050.
- FuelEU penalties, pooling and the RFNBO multiplier
How FuelEU Maritime sets the EUR 2,400/t penalty, the 1.1 escalation, banking, borrowing, pooling and the RFNBO double-count.
- FuelEU reward mechanism explained
Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 reward channels: compliance surplus banking and pooling, RFNBO 2x multiplier, OPS shore-power adjustment, and wind-assist factor.
- FuelEU RFNBO Multiplier: 2x Reward and Sub-target
How FuelEU Maritime Article 5 doubles RFNBO energy, who qualifies, how the compliance balance shifts, and the 2% sub-target from 2034.
- Gas Carrier Types: LPG and LNG Ship Classes
LPG and LNG carrier classes by cargo and cbm: pressurised to VLGC, conventional LNG to Q-Max, IGC tank types, membrane and Moss containment.
- GENCON Charter Party Explained (1994 and 2022)
GENCON is BIMCO's standard voyage charter party for dry cargo. Understand Part I and II, the 1994 vs 2022 versions, laytime, demurrage and CONGENBILL.
- General Average and York-Antwerp Rules
A comprehensive guide to general average, the historical lex Rhodia, the York-Antwerp Rules from 1974 through 2016, GA adjustment, security.
- General cargo ship
General cargo ships are multi-purpose vessels designed to carry break-bulk, containerised, heavy-lift.
- GFI Reduction Trajectory: Draft IMO Targets 2028 to 2035
The draft IMO Net-Zero Framework GFI trajectory: Base and Direct compliance targets from 93.3 gCO2eq/MJ for 2028 to 2035, a 2040 anchor, and no 2050 value.
- Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is the mandatory radio communications framework under SOLAS Chapter IV.
- Gotaverken: Swedish Marine Diesel Engines
History of Gotaverken, the Gothenburg shipbuilder and marine diesel engine builder, from its 1841 founding to the yard's repair-era close.
- Grandi Motori Trieste: Italian Marine Engine History
History of Grandi Motori Trieste (GMT) and Fiat Grandi Motori: Italian marine diesel engine builders from 1899 through the Wartsila acquisition in 1999.
- Green Shipping Corridors: Definition and Status
Green shipping corridors are zero-emission maritime routes where fuel supply, vessels, cargo demand, and policy align on a specific port pair.
- Gypsum: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code carriage reference for gypsum: Group C calcium sulphate dihydrate, natural and FGD forms, dust hazards, caking, and hold prep.
- GZ Curve and Righting Arm
The GZ curve (also called the curve of static stability or righting arm curve) plots the righting arm GZ as a function of heel angle.
- Hague-Visby Rules: bills of lading carrier liability framework
Hague Rules 1924, Visby Protocol 1968 and SDR Protocol 1979: the Article III seaworthiness duty, the Article IV defences, and the 666.67 SDR package limit.
- Hanshin Diesel Marine Engines
History and product range of Hanshin Diesel Works: Japanese medium-bore four-stroke marine engines for coastal cargo, fishing, and tugs, 1919 to present.
- Hanwha Engine: HSD and Doosan Engine History
Corporate history of Hanwha Engine, the Korean two-stroke builder formerly HSD Engine and Doosan Engine, from the HSD merger to Hanwha.
- Harland & Wolff Marine Diesel Engines
History of Harland & Wolff diesel engines: the Belfast shipbuilder's Burmeister & Wain licence, motorship era, and decline.
- Heavy fuel oil: residual marine fuel grades and handling
Residual marine fuel under ISO 8217:2024: the new RM grade tables, CCAI and sediment limits, cat fines, the sulphur regime, and why HSFO demand recovered.
- Heavy Weather Operations at Sea
IMO MSC.1/Circ.1228, parametric rolling, SGISc criteria, surf-riding, cargo securing, and master's authority in adverse conditions.
- HELCOM Convention 1992: Baltic Sea protection treaty
The 1992 Helsinki Convention protects the Baltic Sea from all pollution sources. HELCOM has nine littoral states plus the EU as contracting parties.
- Hesselman Engine: History, Principle, and Marine Use
Jonas Hesselman's 1925 hybrid engine paired direct injection with spark ignition at low compression to burn cheap heavy fuel in trucks, boats, and buses.
- HHI Engine & Machinery Division (HHI-EMD)
Profile of HHI-EMD, the Ulsan engine builder licensing MAN B&W and WinGD two-strokes and making the in-house HiMSEN four-stroke.
- High-Speed Four-Stroke Marine Engines
High-speed four-stroke marine engines: the 1,000-2,100 rpm trunk-piston category powering fast craft, patrol boats, workboats, tugs, and marine gensets.
- HiMSEN: Hyundai Medium-Speed Marine Engines
HiMSEN, Hyundai's in-house four-stroke medium-speed marine diesel and dual-fuel engine family, from the 2001 launch to the ammonia variants.
- HNS Convention 2010: liability for hazardous substances
The 1996 HNS Convention as amended in 2010: shipowner strict liability plus an HNS Fund up to 250 million SDR, entering into force on 29 November 2027.
- Hong Kong Convention 2009: Ship Recycling
The Hong Kong Convention 2009 regulates ship recycling via IHMs, facility authorisation, and safe demolition. It entered into force 26 June 2025.
- Hornsby-Akroyd Hot-Bulb Oil Engine: History
Herbert Akroyd Stuart patented the hot-bulb heavy-oil engine in 1890; Richard Hornsby & Sons built 32,417 units from 1891, predating Diesel by two years.
- Hull and Machinery Insurance
A comprehensive guide to Hull and Machinery (H&M) insurance covering ITC-Hulls 1/11/95, perils insured, total loss principles, claims handling.
- Hull form design
Hull form design defines a ship's three-dimensional underwater geometry, governing resistance, stability, seakeeping.
- Hull Strength and Longitudinal Bending
How IACS CSR and UR S11 govern hull-girder bending moment, section modulus, shear, ultimate strength, and fatigue in bulk carriers and tankers.
- Hydrogen as Marine Fuel
Hydrogen (H2) is the lightest and most energy-dense (per unit mass) chemical fuel.
- Hydrogen Marine Fuel Cells: Types, Projects, and Rules
How marine hydrogen fuel cells work: PEM vs SOFC, demonstration projects, the IGF Code and MSC.1/Circ.1647 rules, hydrogen storage, and limits.
- Hydrostatics and Bonjean curves
Hydrostatics and Bonjean curves describe a ship hull's buoyancy properties at each waterline, underpinning displacement, stability, trim.
- IACS: International Association of Classification Societies
IACS, founded 1968 in Hamburg, unites 12 classification societies covering 90%+ of world tonnage through Unified Requirements, CSR-H, and the RO Code.
- IBC Code: chemical tanker construction and carriage rules
The IBC Code sets the ship type, containment and equipment standard for carrying dangerous liquid chemicals in bulk, mandatory under SOLAS chapter VII and MARPOL Annex II.
- IGC Code: Gas Carrier Construction and Equipment
The IGC Code is the IMO standard for the construction and equipment of ships carrying liquefied gases in bulk: LNG, LPG, ethylene, and ammonia carriers.
- IGF Code: Low-Flashpoint Fuel Ship Safety
The IGF Code is IMO's mandatory, SOLAS-linked safety standard for ships that burn LNG, methanol, ammonia, and other low-flashpoint fuels for propulsion.
- IMDG Class 1 Explosives: Divisions, Groups, Stowage
IMDG Code Class 1 covers explosives carried by sea across six hazard divisions and thirteen compatibility groups, with strict stowage rules.
- IMDG Class 2: Gases Complete Guide
IMDG Code 41-22 Class 2 gases: Division 2.1/2.2/2.3 criteria, T50/T75 tanks, MEGCs, aerosols, stowage, segregation, EmS, and IGC Code boundary.
- IMDG Class 3: Flammable Liquids Guide
Class 3 flammable liquids under IMDG Code 41-22: flash point, packing groups, stowage categories, segregation, EmS, and DG documentation.
- IMDG Class 4: Flammable Solids, Self-Heating, Water-Reactive
IMDG Class 4 covers flammable solids (4.1), spontaneously combustible substances (4.2) and dangerous-when-wet substances (4.3): tests, stowage, segregation.
- IMDG Class 5: Oxidizers and Organic Peroxides
IMDG Class 5: Division 5.1 oxidizers and 5.2 organic peroxides. Tests O.1/O.2, SADT, control temperatures, stowage, and segregation under Amendment 41-22.
- IMDG Class 6: Toxic and Infectious Substances
IMDG Class 6: Division 6.1 toxic and 6.2 infectious substances, classification thresholds, packaging, stowage, and documentation.
- IMDG Class 8: Corrosive Substances Guide
IMDG Code Class 8 corrosive substances: definition, packing groups I/II/III, stowage, segregation, EmS, MFAG, and documentation under Amendment 41-22.
- IMDG Class 9: Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods
IMDG Class 9 is the residual class of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code.
- IMDG Marking, Labelling, and Placarding
How IMDG Code Part 5 governs package marks and labels, CTU placards, orange panels, special marks, and the dangerous goods declaration.
- IMO 2020 sulphur cap
IMO 2020 sulphur cap limits global marine fuel sulphur to 0.50% m/m from 1 January 2020 under MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 14, cutting SOx emissions by 75%.
- IMO Data Collection System: fuel oil reporting guide
MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 27 DCS: scope, data elements, SEEMP Part II, verification, Statement of Compliance, and 2025 enhanced granularity amendments.
- IMO DCS vs EU MRV: full comparison
IMO DCS vs EU MRV: how the two ship CO2 reporting regimes differ on scope, granularity, gases, verification, transparency, and downstream use.
- IMO GHG Strategy
The IMO GHG Strategy is the International Maritime Organization's framework for the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions from international shipping.
- IMO Global Fuel Standard: How Attained GFI Is Calculated
How the draft IMO global fuel standard computes a ship's attained GFI well-to-wake per MJ, applies MEPC.391(81) defaults, and settles Tier 1 and 2 deficits.
- IMO Levy and Economic Measure Under the Net-Zero Framework
The economic element of the draft IMO Net-Zero Framework: Tier 1 and Tier 2 remedial units at USD 100 and USD 380, surplus units, and the IMO Net-Zero Fund.
- IMO Net-Zero Framework and GHG Fuel Intensity
The IMO Net-Zero Framework, the well-to-wake GHG Fuel Intensity metric, its two-tier targets, remedial and surplus units, and the Net-Zero Fund.
- IMO Net-Zero Framework: Draft MARPOL Annex VI Chapter 5
The IMO Net-Zero Framework is the draft MARPOL Annex VI Chapter 5 fuel-intensity standard and GHG pricing regime approved at MEPC 83 in 2025 and not yet adopted.
- IMO Net-Zero Fund: Draft Governance and Disbursement
The draft IMO Net-Zero Fund under MARPOL Annex VI regulations 40 and 41: inflows, Governing Board, ZNZ rewards, just transition heads, and what is undecided.
- IMSBC Code: solid bulk cargo classification and carriage
The IMSBC Code is the SOLAS VI/1-2 mandatory framework for solid bulk cargoes: the Group A, B and C system, the shipper declaration, testing and the schedules.
- IMSBC Group A cargoes: cargoes that may liquefy
IMSBC Group A covers solid bulk cargoes that may liquefy or dynamically separate above their transportable moisture limit: the definition, tests, documents and schedules.
- IMSBC Group B: solid bulk cargoes with chemical hazards
IMSBC Group B covers solid bulk cargoes possessing a chemical hazard: the seven MHB codes, the two segregation matrices, and the schedules for coal and DRI.
- IMSBC Group C: the residual solid bulk cargo group
IMSBC Group C is the residual class of solid bulk cargo: no liquefaction, no chemical hazard, but a declaration, a trimming duty and a tank top load limit.
- Incoterms 2020: The 11 ICC Rules, Risk and Cost
The 11 Incoterms 2020 rules: where risk passes to the buyer, who pays carriage, insurance, export and import clearance, and what changed from the 2010 edition.
- Indicator Diagram Analysis: Marine Diesel Engines
How indicator diagram analysis reveals combustion timing, MIP, Pmax, compression condition, and cylinder faults on slow-speed two-stroke marine diesels.
- Intact stability
Intact stability covers the ability of an undamaged ship to resist capsizing, governed by the IMO 2008 IS Code and the criteria of Resolution MSC.267(85).
- IOPC Fund 1992: International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund
Second-tier compensation under the 1992 Fund Convention, contributor architecture, 203 million SDR cap, Sapphire test, and Supplementary Fund 2003.
- IOPP Certificate: MARPOL Annex I Surveys
The International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate and the Annex I survey cycle under Regulations 6 to 10, Form A and Form B, and the HSSC five-year validity.
- Iron Ore Concentrate: IMSBC Code Schedule
IMSBC Group A schedule for iron ore concentrate: liquefaction risk, the TML framework, test methods, and the distinction from lump iron ore.
- Iron Ore Pellets: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code Group C schedule for iron ore pellets: agglomerated blast-furnace and DRI feedstock, high bulk density, structural loading, and handling.
- Iron Ore: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code schedule for iron ore: Group C lump ore, Group A fines distinction, high bulk density, SOLAS Chapter XII structural loading, and global trade.
- ISM Code: International Safety Management Code
The ISM Code is the IMO framework requiring every shipping company to maintain a Safety Management System.
- ISO 8217:2024 Marine Fuel Specification
ISO 8217:2024 is the seventh edition of the international marine fuel standard, defining distillate, residual, and bio-blend grade tables with CCAI limits.
- ISPS and Port-Facility Security: The Regime
How the ISPS Code works: SOLAS XI-2, Part A and B, the three security levels, the SSP, SSO, CSO, PFSP, ISSC, Declaration of Security, and SSAS.
- ISPS Code: international ship and port facility security
The ISPS Code is the IMO framework mandating ship and port security plans, three threat levels, and certified security officers since 1 July 2004.
- Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG): Company Overview
Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG): history, UE engine lineage, product families, licensing network, ammonia and hydrogen development.
- Jeddah Convention 1982 (PERSGA): Red Sea + Gulf of Aden environment
1982 regional convention covering ~672,000 km² Red Sea + GoA; 7 parties; 3 protocols; PERSGA Secretariat; FSO Safer 2023 averted spill.
- John G. Kincaid: Greenock Marine Engine Builder
History of John G. Kincaid & Co Ltd of Greenock, Burmeister & Wain two-stroke diesel licensee on the Clyde.
- Jomard Entrance PSSA: Louisiade Two-Way Routes
Jomard Entrance PSSA under MEPC.283(70), 2016: recommendatory two-way routes and a precautionary area through the Louisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea.
- Just-In-Time Arrival
Just-In-Time (JIT) arrival is the operational practice of slowing a ship to arrive at the pilot station precisely when the berth is available.
- Kawasaki Heavy Industries Marine Engines
Kawasaki Heavy Industries marine engines: MAN B&W two-stroke licence at Kobe, in-house medium-speed designs, LNG and hydrogen carriers.
- Knock-for-Knock Indemnity in Marine Contracts
Knock-for-knock indemnity allocates loss to the owner of the property or personnel hurt, regardless of fault. Covers BIMCO SUPPLYTIME, TOWCON, English law.
- Kockums: Malmo Shipyard and Marine Engines
Kockums of Malmo, Sweden: the 1840 machine works, its licensed B&W and MAN two-stroke marine diesels, the giant-tanker era, and Saab Kockums today.
- Krupp Marine Engines: Germania Diesels to ThyssenKrupp
History of Krupp marine engineering: Essen steel origins, Germaniawerft Kiel diesels, U-boat engines, and the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems lineage.
- Kuwait Regional Convention 1978 and ROPME
The Kuwait Regional Convention 1978, ROPME, and MEMAC: the binding environmental treaty for all eight Persian Gulf states covering the ROPME Sea Area.
- Landed Cost and Import Duty: The Full Delivered Cost
Landed cost built line by line: WTO customs value on a CIF or FOB basis, the HS code duty rate, import VAT on the duty-inclusive base, brokerage and delivery.
- Laytime: Voyage Charter Time Accounting
Laytime is the time agreed under a voyage charter party for loading or discharging cargo before demurrage or despatch becomes payable.
- Lead Concentrate: IMSBC Code Schedule
Lead concentrate under the IMSBC Code: Group A liquefaction risk, MHB toxic classification, TML controls, very high bulk density, and loading precautions.
- Letter of Indemnity in Shipping: LOI Guide
Letters of indemnity in shipping: delivery without B/L, switch bills, P&I exclusions, enforceability, and IG club standard wordings.
- Lightweight vs Deadweight: Displacement Explained
Lightweight (LWT) is the ship as-built; deadweight (DWT) is what it carries. Together they equal loaded displacement at the Summer Load Line.
- Lima Convention 1981: South-East Pacific marine + coastal environment (CPPS)
1981 framework convention covering ~10,000 km Humboldt Current coast (Panama to Chile); 5 parties; 6 protocols; CPPS Secretariat in Guayaquil.
- Limestone: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code schedule for limestone: Group C cargo, dust hazards, fines liquefaction risk, cement and steel feedstock, and bulk handling procedures.
- Lisbon Agreement 1990: NE Atlantic Iberian-Moroccan oil-pollution cooperation
1990 NE Atlantic agreement covering the Iberian and Moroccan coasts; not in force after 35 years pending Spanish ratification; Prestige 2002 context.
- Lister-Petter Marine Engines
History of Lister-Petter: Dursley small high-speed diesels, the Petter heritage, the 1986 merger, and the LPW and Alpha marine ranges.
- LLMC: Convention on Limitation of Maritime Claims
LLMC 1976, 1996 Protocol, 2012 Amendments: SDR-per-tonne caps for personal injury and property, near-unbreakable Article 4 conduct test.
- Lloyd's Register (LR): world's oldest classification society
Lloyd''s Register founded 1760 London; formally 1834; world''s oldest class society; ~7,500-9,000 vessels (~120-150 Mt GT); 100 A1 + LMC notations.
- LNG as marine fuel
LNG as marine fuel covers properties, emission profiles, methane slip, bunkering infrastructure, regulation, and fleet adoption statistics as of 2024.
- LNG Cargo Containment Systems
IGC Code tank types, Moss spheres, GTT NO96 and Mark III membranes, SPB tanks, insulation, boil-off gas, and sloshing on LNG carriers.
- LNG carrier
LNG carriers are specialised ships that transport liquefied natural gas at −163 °C.
- LNG fuel system: onboard storage to gas supply
An onboard LNG fuel system stores liquefied natural gas at minus 162 C, manages boil-off gas, and supplies dual-fuel engines under the IGF Code, MSC.391(95).
- Load line
Load line, also called the Plimsoll line, is the marking on a ship's hull that fixes the maximum permissible draft in different water densities and.
- London Convention 1972 + London Protocol 1996: Marine Dumping
The 1972 London Convention and 1996 Protocol on dumping at sea: the reverse-list approach, the CCS sub-seabed amendment, and the precautionary principle.
- Loop vs Uniflow Scavenging in Marine Two-Strokes
Loop vs uniflow scavenging in marine two-stroke engines: gas-exchange physics, efficiency data, and why the industry consolidated on uniflow by 1990.
- Loss of Hire Insurance
A comprehensive guide to Loss of Hire (LOH) insurance covering policy structure, daily indemnity, deductibles, interplay with H&M, common exclusions.
- LRIT Long-Range Identification and Tracking: SOLAS V/19-1 ship tracking
LRIT mandatory under SOLAS V/19-1 + MSC.202(81); 6-hour position reports via Inmarsat-C/MiniC; flag + coastal + port + SAR access tiers; IDE in Lisbon.
- LSA Code: International Life-Saving Appliance Code
The LSA Code (MSC.48(66)) is the mandatory technical standard for every life-saving appliance SOLAS Chapter III requires ships to carry.
- Madrid Protocol 1991: Antarctic Environmental Protection
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty: adopted 4 Oct 1991, in force 14 Jan 1998. Six Annexes; mining ban; Polar Code; 58 parties.
- Maize: IMSBC Code and Grain Code Carriage
Carriage reference for maize (corn) in bulk: excluded from the IMSBC Code by SOLAS VI/1-2, the International Grain Code stability regime, fumigation and dust.
- MaK Maschinenbau Kiel: Marine Engine History
MaK (Maschinenbau Kiel): the German medium-speed marine diesel builder, acquired by Caterpillar in 1997 and now Caterpillar Motoren.
- MAN 32/40: Medium-Speed Marine Engine Guide
Technical reference for the MAN 32/40 engine: bore/stroke, GenSet and propulsion ratings, IMO Tier III options, dual-fuel variants, and service
- MAN 48/60: Large-Bore Medium-Speed Marine Engine
MAN 48/60 and 48/60CR: 480 mm bore, 600 mm stroke, up to 22,000 kW in V18, common-rail injection, cruise and FPSO propulsion.
- MAN Alpha Lubricator: Electronic Cylinder Lubrication
MAN B&W Alpha Lubricator system architecture, ACC feed-rate algorithm, solenoid plunger pumps, timed injection, and MC/ME-series retrofit guidance.
- MAN B&W ME-C Electronic Control System
Engineering reference for the MAN B&W ME-C two-stroke engine: FIVA valve, HPS servo-oil circuit, ECS control units, variable timing, and emissions tuning.
- MAN Energy Solutions: Corporate History
History of MAN Energy Solutions: Augsburg origins, the MAN B&W two-stroke line, four-stroke engines, licensing, and decarbonisation.
- MAN L21/31: Medium-Speed Marine GenSet Engine
The MAN L21/31 is a 210 mm bore, four-stroke medium-speed marine engine in 5-9 cylinders, rated 220-240 kW/cyl, built primarily for auxiliary GenSet duty.
- MAN L32/44CR: Medium-Speed Four-Stroke Marine Engine
MAN L32/44CR: 320 mm bore, 440 mm stroke, common-rail injection, 560-660 kW per cylinder, in-line and V builds for propulsion and GenSets.
- Manganese Ore: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code schedule for manganese ore: Group C lump, Group A fines, liquefaction risk, tanktop loading limits, dust control, and bulk carrier procedures.
- Marine Auxiliary Engines and Generators
Marine auxiliary engines (gensets) supply ship electrical power: sizing, load sharing, shaft and emergency generators, NOx limits, and fuel basis.
- Marine Bilge and Ballast Systems
How ship bilge and ballast systems work: architecture, SOLAS/class requirements, emergency suctions, BWM Convention D-1/D-2, and anti-flooding rules.
- Marine Boilers and Steam Systems
Marine boilers and steam systems: types, mountings, SOLAS II-1 rules, IACS survey, feedwater treatment, and safety devices.
- Marine Bow Doors and Stern Ramps: Ro-Ro Safety
Bow doors, visors, inner doors, and stern ramps on ro-ro ships: SOLAS regulations, IACS UR S8/S27, post-Estonia rules, and engineering requirements.
- Marine Bridge Equipment and Integrated Bridge Systems
SOLAS V carriage requirements, IMO performance standards, and architecture of integrated bridge systems including ECDIS, radar/ARPA, AIS, VDR, and INS.
- Marine Cargo Damage Investigation
How marine cargo damage investigations work: Hague-Visby Rules, surveyor roles, notice and time bar, documentary evidence, and damage mechanisms.
- Marine Cargo Pumps and Piping Systems
How tanker cargo pumps and piping move liquid cargo: centrifugal, deepwell, and screw types, ring-main piping, stripping, and IGS links.
- Marine Cargo Securing and Lashing Systems
CSS Code, SOLAS VI, and IMO MSC.1/Circ.1353 Rev.2 requirements for cargo securing manuals, lashing force design, and equipment certification.
- Marine Cathodic Protection and Hull Coatings
How ships resist hull corrosion: cathodic protection, sacrificial anodes, ICCP, epoxy and antifouling coatings, PSPC, and the AFS Convention.
- Marine Compressed Air Systems Explained
How shipboard compressed air systems supply starting, control, and service air: pressures, class redundancy rules, safety fittings, and maintenance.
- Marine Crew Accommodation: MLC 2006 Standards
MLC 2006 Title 3 crew accommodation standards: cabin sizes, headroom, noise limits, sanitary ratios, hospital requirements, and port-state enforcement.
- Marine diesel engine
Marine diesel engines power the vast majority of ocean-going ships, combining high thermal efficiency with the ability to burn residual heavy fuel oil at.
- Marine Domestic Water Systems: Potable and Sanitary
Engineering reference for shipboard potable and sanitary water: generation, storage, treatment, distribution, calorifiers, and regulatory compliance.
- Marine Dynamic Positioning Systems
IMO/IMCA regulatory guide to DP Equipment Classes 1, 2, 3: FMEA, annual trials, position reference systems, control loop, and DPO certification.
- Marine Electrical Generation and Distribution
Ship electrical power: main and emergency generators, switchboards, distribution, SOLAS II-1 rules, voltages and shore connection.
- Marine Engine Camshaft and Valve Train
Marine diesel camshafts and valve trains: cam profiles, timing, reversing, variable timing, and the shift to camshaftless ME engines.
- Marine Engine Combustion Analysis
P-V and P-theta indicator diagrams, IMEP, Pmax, Pcomp, heat-release analysis, fault diagnosis, and cylinder balancing on marine diesel engines.
- Marine Engine Common Rail Technology
How common rail fuel injection works across marine diesel engines: the shared accumulator principle, four-stroke HPCR, two-stroke systems, and NOx control.
- Marine Engine Crankshaft and Main Bearings
Design, IACS UR M53 fatigue calculation, bearing metallurgy, failure modes, and alignment for marine diesel crankshafts and main bearings.
- Marine Engine Cylinder Liners and Pistons
Overview of cylinder liner and piston design, materials, wear, cooling, and overhaul for two-stroke crosshead and four-stroke trunk-piston marine engines.
- Marine Engine Fuel Injection Systems
System-level overview of marine engine fuel injection: fuel supply, jerk-pump, common-rail, unit-injector, nozzle design, NOx, and fuel quality.
- Marine Engine Maintenance Scheduling
How PMS, condition-based monitoring, maker overhaul intervals, and class machinery surveys combine to keep ship engines running.
- Marine Engine Makers: builders and licensors
A guide to the marine engine makers: two-stroke licensors, four-stroke medium-speed builders, high-speed makers, and heritage firms.
- Marine Engine Model Decoder (Naming Conventions, All Major Makers)
Reference to marine engine model designations across 34 makers: MAN B&W/Everllence, WinGD, Wartsila-Sulzer, Mitsubishi UEC, MaK, Bergen, HiMSEN, and more.
- Marine Engine Performance Monitoring
How ships monitor engine performance: SFOC, cylinder pressure, exhaust temperatures, turbocharger data, trending, and CII/EEXI compliance.
- Marine Engine Room Ventilation and Uptakes
How ships supply combustion and cooling air to machinery spaces and route exhaust through uptakes, per ISO 8861 and SOLAS II-2.
- Marine Engine Starting Air System Guide
How compressed-air starting systems on marine diesel engines work: receivers, compressors, distributors, class rules, and maintenance practice.
- Marine Engine Turbocharging: Principles and Practice
How exhaust-gas turbocharging works on marine diesel engines: turbine types, charge-air cooling, surge, Miller timing, and class survey requirements.
- Marine Fire Detection and Fixed Fire-Fighting Systems
How ships detect and suppress fire under SOLAS Chapter II-2 and the FSS Code: detectors, CO2 flooding, water mist, foam, and sprinklers.
- Marine Fresh Water Generator: How Ships Make Fresh Water
How ships make fresh water at sea: vacuum distillation evaporators, reverse osmosis, salinometer control, and coastal production limits.
- Marine Fuel and Lube Oil Purifiers
How marine centrifugal separators remove water and catalytic fines from heavy fuel oil and lubricating oil to protect diesel engines at sea.
- Marine Fuel Oil Systems
Marine fuel oil system: the shipboard train that receives, stores, treats, heats, and delivers HFO, VLSFO, and MGO to the engine at injection viscosity.
- Marine Galley Equipment and Provisions
MLC 2006 Regulation 3.2 requirements for shipboard galley equipment, food safety, cook certification, HACCP, and provision management aboard ships.
- Marine gas oil (MGO): ISO 8217 distillate grades
Marine gas oil (MGO) is the ISO 8217 distillate bunker fuel, grades DMX, DMA, DMZ and DMB, burned without preheating to meet the 0.10% sulphur ECA limit.
- Marine gas turbine
A marine gas turbine is an internal-combustion engine operating on the Brayton cycle, used to propel or generate power aboard ships and fast craft.
- Marine Gas Turbines: Propulsion Technology Guide
How marine gas turbines work: the GE LM2500 and Rolls-Royce MT30, CODOG/COGAG/COGES arrangements, naval and commercial use, and fuel flexibility.
- Marine Hatch Covers: Weathertight Closures
Design, regulation, and inspection of marine hatch covers: Load Line Convention, IACS UR S21/S26, SOLAS XII, wave loads, gasket systems, and testing.
- Marine Helicopter Operations and Helidecks
Helideck design, D-value, DIFFS firefighting, HLO duties, CAP 437, SOLAS II-2/18, and MODU rules for ship helicopter operations.
- Marine HVAC Systems: Ship Air Conditioning and Ventilation
How ships heat, ventilate and air condition accommodation, machinery spaces, cargo holds and galleys, and how MLC 2006 and the HFC phase-down shape the design.
- Marine Hydraulic Systems: Shipboard Hydraulics Guide
Marine hydraulic systems: pumps, valves, actuators, fluids, filtration, steering gear, and deck machinery, plus class rules, EAL/VGP, and maintenance.
- Marine Inert Gas Systems on Tankers
How IGS keeps cargo-tank oxygen below 8% on tankers under SOLAS II-2 Reg 4.5.5, FSS Code chapter 15, and IBC/IGC Code requirements.
- Marine Lifeboats and Survival Craft
Lifeboats, liferafts, rescue boats, davits, and on-load release gear under SOLAS Chapter III and the IMO LSA Code.
- Marine Lubricating Oil Systems: System Oil Guide
System-oil circuits for crosshead and trunk-piston marine engines: pumps, coolers, purifiers, filters, crankcase safety, and oil analysis.
- Marine maintenance management: ISM, CMS, PMS and CBM
How shipboard maintenance is governed: ISM Code section 10, the IACS survey schemes Z18, Z20 and Z27, condition monitoring standards, and the spare parts question.
- Marine Mooring Equipment and Winches
Mooring equipment: winches, capstans, bitts, fairleads, line types, MBL framework, OCIMF MEG4, SOLAS Reg 3-8, and snap-back safety.
- Marine Oily Water Separators: OWS and Bilge Treatment
Engineering and regulatory guide to marine OWS, 15 ppm bilge alarms, MEPC.107(49) type approval, ORB Part I, and APPS enforcement.
- Marine Pressure Vessel Inspection and Survey
Class survey framework, IACS UR P3/P4 intervals, design basis, hydraulic testing, NDT, and certification for marine pressure vessels.
- Marine propeller
Marine propeller is the primary propulsion device on most vessels, converting shaft torque into thrust via rotating helical blades immersed in water.
- Marine Propeller Pitch and Construction
Geometry, materials, ISO 484 tolerance classes, CPP hub mechanics, and shaft fitting for marine screw propellers.
- Marine Propulsion Shafting and Stern Tube
IACS UR M68 shaft diameter rules, stern tube bearing types, EAL requirements, tailshaft survey intervals, and seal design for commercial ships.
- Marine Reduction Gears: Design and Operation
How marine reduction gearboxes match engine speed to propeller rpm: gear types, ISO 6336 load capacity, clutches, PTO/PTI, lubrication, and failure modes.
- Marine Reefer Container Systems: Ship Guide
How refrigerated container systems work on ships: integral vs porthole, reefer power, CA, refrigerants, PTI, monitoring, and cargo claims.
- Marine Refrigeration and Cargo Cooling
How ships refrigerate cargo and provisions: the vapour-compression cycle, reefer ships vs containers, refrigerant regulation, and the cold chain.
- Marine Sea Water Cooling Systems
Ship sea water cooling: direct vs central cooling, sea chests, plate and shell-and-tube coolers, box coolers, materials, and MGPS biofouling control.
- Marine Sewage and Grey Water Treatment Systems
Ship sewage treatment plants, holding tanks, grey water handling, and the MARPOL Annex IV discharge regime explained.
- Marine Stabilisers: Roll Reduction Systems
Ship roll stabilisation: bilge keels, active fin, anti-roll tanks, gyroscopic, and rudder-roll systems. Principles, tuning, effectiveness, and trade-offs.
- Marine Stability Booklet and Loading Computer
SOLAS-required trim and stability booklet and onboard loading computer: IACS UR L5 approval, IS Code criteria, and master obligations.
- Marine Steam Turbines: Principles, History, and Use
Marine steam turbines convert boiler steam to shaft power via Rankine cycle, covering LNG carriers, naval nuclear ships, history, and diesel competition.
- Marine Steering Gear: Types, SOLAS Rules, Operation
Marine steering gear: the actuator types, the hydraulic power units, the SOLAS Reg 29/30 performance criteria, and the tanker redundancy rules.
- Marine Tank Gauging Systems: Tanker Operations
How open, restricted, and closed gauging technologies measure cargo ullage, overfill alarms, custody transfer, and IBC/IGC Code compliance on tankers.
- Marine VOC Management and Vapor Recovery
MARPOL Annex VI Reg 15 VOC management plans, ship-shore vapor emission control systems, safety interlocks, and USCG 33 CFR 154 rules for crude oil tankers.
- Marine Voyage Planning and Routing
SOLAS V Reg 34 mandates berth-to-berth passage plans built in four stages: appraisal, planning, execution, and monitoring.
- Maritime Chokepoints: Canals and Straits
How lock chambers, dredged depth and charted depth at Panama, Suez, Malacca and Hormuz set the Panamax, Neopanamax and Suezmax limits and the cost of a route.
- Maritime Cyber Security and Resilience
The maritime cyber threat, the MSC.428(98) ISM duty, IACS UR E26 and E27, the NIST five-function method, and shipboard OT systems at risk.
- Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC 2006)
MLC 2006 is the ILO's consolidated maritime labour treaty, setting minimum standards for seafarer rights, welfare.
- Maritime Lien and Ship Arrest
A maritime lien attaches to a ship by operation of law and is enforced by arrest and an action in rem in admiralty.
- Maritime piracy and Best Management Practices
Maritime piracy, its legal definitions under UNCLOS and SUA, historical waves, naval responses.
- Maritime Security and Risk: The Three Pillars
The three pillars of maritime security: ISPS port-facility security, MSC.428(98) cyber risk, and war-risk and high-risk-area transit.
- MARPOL Annex I Exemptions, Waivers and Equivalents
How MARPOL Annex I Regulations 3, 4 and 5 govern exemptions, waivers and equivalents, with IOPP endorsement, flag-state discretion and PSC acceptance.
- MARPOL Annex I HGO and HFO bans in polar waters
MARPOL Annex I Reg 43 bans HGO carriage and use in the Antarctic from 2011; Reg 43A bans HFO use and carriage-for-use in the Arctic from 2024.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 1 and 2: Definitions and Application
How MARPOL Annex I Reg 1 defines oil, oil tanker, nearest land and clean ballast, and how Reg 2 sets the Annex's scope.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 11: Operational PSC
MARPOL Annex I Regulation 11 lets a port State inspect crew familiarity with oil-pollution procedures on clear grounds, beyond IOPP and ORB checks.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 14: oil filtering equipment
15 ppm OWS, ODMCS interlock, MEPC.107(49) type approval, 400 GT and 10,000 GT thresholds, magic-pipe fraud history.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 15: oil discharge control
En-route, 15 ppm, special-area regime, far-from-land rule, and four cumulative conditions for legal bilge-water discharge.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 16: Oil and Water Ballast Segregation
MARPOL Annex I Regulation 16 bars ballast in oil fuel tanks and oil forward of the collision bulkhead, with verified GT and date thresholds.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 17: the Oil Record Book
ORB Part I machinery and Part II cargo operations: entry codes, retention, magic-pipe falsification cases, US APPS criminal liability.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 18: segregated ballast tanks
MARPOL Annex I Reg 18 segregated ballast tanks: 20,000 dwt crude and 30,000 dwt product thresholds, protective location, draft and trim criteria, dedicated CBT.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 19: double hull for tankers
MARPOL Annex I Reg 19 double hull: w = 0.5 + DW/20,000 wing-tank width, h = B/15 double bottom, 600 dwt, single-hull phase-out under Reg 20.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 23: accidental oil outflow
Probabilistic mean oil outflow parameter OM, the 0.015 and 0.012 limits, and side and bottom damage methodology under MARPOL Annex I Regulation 23.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 25: hypothetical oil outflow
Deterministic hypothetical oil outflow under MARPOL Annex I Regulation 25: the Oc side and Os bottom damage formulas with Ki and Zi coefficients.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 26: Cargo Tank Size Limits
MARPOL Annex I Regulation 26 caps oil tanker cargo tank volume and length so hypothetical outflow stays under the 30,000 m3 ceiling.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 27: tanker intact stability
Reg 27 intact-stability criteria for oil tankers of 5,000 t deadweight delivered on or after 1 February 2002: GM, GZ-area, and free-surface rules.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 28: oil tanker damage stability
MARPOL Annex I Regulation 28: the side, bottom and raking damage an oil tanker of 150 GT and above must survive, and the heel, GZ and area tests it must meet.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 29 and 30: slop tanks, piping
Reg 29 slop-tank capacity (3%/2%/1.5%/1%), Reg 30 above-waterline piping, load-on-top, and the legal cargo-residue discharge chain.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 31: the ODMCS
Reg 31 requires every oil tanker of 150 GT and above to carry an approved ODMCS that enforces the Reg 34 cargo discharge limits.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 32: oil/water interface detector
Reg 32 requires oil tankers of 150 GT and above to carry approved oil/water interface detectors for rapid determination of the slop-tank interface.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 33: crude oil washing
MARPOL Annex I Reg 33 crude oil washing: IGS prerequisite, regulation 35 COW manual, tank rotation and shadow limits, and the 20,000 DWT crude tanker threshold.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 34: cargo-area oil discharge
Regulation 34 sets the cumulative limits for discharging oily cargo residue from a tanker's cargo area: 50 nm, 30 L/nm, and the 1/15,000 or 1/30,000 ratio.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 35: crude oil washing operations
MARPOL Annex I Reg 35 crude oil washing operations: the approved COW Operations and Equipment Manual, 8% oxygen ceiling, ORB Part II entries.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 36: Oil Record Book Part II
Oil Record Book Part II under Reg 36: cargo and ballast entry codes A-O, 150 GT tankers, ODMCS reconciliation, US APPS falsification liability.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 37: SOPEP
SOPEP four-section structure, SMPEP integration, drill requirements, OPRC interaction and ISM Code Element 7-8 alignment under MEPC.54(32).
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 38: oil reception facilities
Reg 38 obliges each MARPOL Party to provide adequate reception facilities for oil residues at terminals, repair ports, and bunkering ports.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg 39: fixed and floating platforms
MARPOL Annex I Regulation 39 oil-pollution rules for fixed and floating platforms: 15 ppm limit, Reg 12/14 equipment, record-keeping, produced-water scope.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg.12: oil residue (sludge) tanks
Capacity calculation, piping segregation rules, MEPC.187(59) 2011 amendment, and PSC inspection findings under MARPOL Annex I Regulation 12.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg.13: Standard Discharge Connection
MARPOL Annex I Regulation 13 standard discharge connection: the 215 mm oil-residue flange that mates a ship's sludge line to shore reception facilities.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg.22: Pump-Room Bottom Protection
MARPOL Annex I Regulation 22 double bottom for oil tanker pump rooms: the h = B/15 protective distance, 1 m floor, 2 m cap, scope, surveys.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg.24: Damage Assumptions
Assumed side and bottom damage extents under MARPOL Annex I Regulation 24 that drive the hypothetical oil outflow and tank size limits.
- MARPOL Annex I Reg.41: STS oil transfer operations
MARPOL Annex I Reg.41 requires an approved STS Operations Plan, a qualified POAC, and 48-hour coastal-State notification under MEPC.186(59).
- MARPOL Annex I Regulation 12A: oil fuel tank protection
Non-tanker oil fuel tank protection under MEPC.141(54): B/20 bottom offset, 760 mm side offset, 2,500 m3 per-tank cap, and probabilistic equivalent route.
- MARPOL Annex I Special Areas: oil-discharge zones
The ten MARPOL Annex I Special Areas where stricter oil-discharge controls apply, their dates, and the reception-facility precondition.
- MARPOL Annex I: prevention of pollution by oil
MARPOL Annex I governs prevention of sea pollution by oil from ships: the regulatory framework for oil tankers and machinery spaces.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 1 to 5: definitions and application
Reg 1 to 5 of the revised MARPOL Annex II: NLS definitions, application to bulk NLS carriers, discharge exceptions, exemptions and equivalents.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 10: Certificate Duration and Validity
How MARPOL Annex II Regulation 10 sets the 5-year NLS Certificate validity, renewal-survey windows, extensions, cessation, and flag-transfer rules.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 11: cargo tank arrangement
Type 1/2/3 chemical-tanker classification under Annex II + IBC Code; double bottom + double sides + protective siting; certificate of fitness.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 12: pumping, piping, stripping
MARPOL Annex II Regulation 12 efficient-stripping residue limits by build date, the Appendix 5 performance test, and underwater discharge outlet design.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 14: P&A Manual
MARPOL Annex II Regulation 14 mandates the ship-specific Procedures and Arrangements Manual, its MEPC.18(22)/MEPC.119(52) format, and flag approval.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 15: Cargo Record Book
Regulation 15 Cargo Record Book for NLS tankers: Appendix 2 codes A to K, officer and master signatures, three-year retention, PSC reconciliation.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 16: PSC Measures of Control
How port State control checks operational compliance with MARPOL Annex II: crew familiarity, P&A Manual, prewash and Cargo Record Book under Regulation 16.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 17: SMPEP for NLS
Annex II Reg 17 SMPEP for noxious liquid substances: 150 GT threshold, MEPC.85(44)/MEPC.137(53) guidelines, combined SOPEP/SMPEP, drills, PSC.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 6: NLS Categorization (X/Y/Z)
How MARPOL Annex II Regulation 6 sorts noxious liquid substances into Categories X, Y, Z and OS using the GESAMP hazard profile.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 7: Chemical Tanker Certification
How MARPOL Annex II Regulation 7 lets an IBC or BCH Code chemical tanker meet the survey, certificate and validity rules via its Certificate of Fitness.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 8: Surveys of NLS Ships
MARPOL Annex II Regulation 8 sets the HSSC survey scheme for chemical tankers and NLS ships: initial, renewal, intermediate, annual and additional surveys.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg 9: NLS Certificate Issue
How MARPOL Annex II Regulation 9 issues and endorses the NLS Certificate, and why an IBC Code chemical tanker carries a Certificate of Fitness instead.
- MARPOL Annex II Reg.18: NLS Reception Facilities
MARPOL Annex II Regulation 18 obligates Parties to provide adequate reception facilities for noxious liquid substance residues and prewash slops.
- MARPOL Annex II Regulation 13: Cargo Tank Washing
Prewash for Category X and Y NLS residues, P&A Manual approval, Cargo Record Book codes A to K, ventilation procedures for non-soluble residues.
- MARPOL Annex II: Carrying Substances Not Yet Categorized
How MARPOL Annex II handles other liquid substances: provisional categorization, tripartite agreements, and the route into the IBC Code.
- MARPOL Annex II: Noxious Liquid Substances
MARPOL Annex II governs the prevention of pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances (NLS) carried in bulk by chemical tankers.
- MARPOL Annex III: Harmful Substances in Packaged Form
MARPOL Annex III governs the prevention of pollution by harmful substances carried by sea in packaged form.
- MARPOL Annex IV Reg 10: Standard Discharge Connection
MARPOL Annex IV Regulation 10 sets the 210 mm standard sewage discharge flange so any ship couples to any port reception facility.
- MARPOL Annex IV Reg 14: Port State Control on Sewage
How port State control inspects sewage under MARPOL Annex IV Reg 14: ISPP Certificate, crew familiarity, clear grounds, detention and A.1206(34) text.
- MARPOL Annex IV Regulation 11: Sewage Discharge Standards
Annex IV Reg 11 four sewage-discharge pathways, MEPC.227(64) Type-Approved STP standards, ISPP certificate, Baltic Special Area.
- MARPOL Annex IV Regulation 9: Sewage Systems
MARPOL Annex IV Regulation 9 requires every ship to fit one of three sewage systems: STP, comminuting unit, or holding tank.
- MARPOL Annex IV Surveys and ISPP Certificate
MARPOL Annex IV Regulations 4 to 8: the survey scheme, issue and form of the ISPP Certificate, and its five-year duration and validity.
- MARPOL Annex IV: Sewage from Ships
MARPOL Annex IV sets ship sewage rules: who must comply, three discharge tiers, STP approval, the ISPP Certificate, PSC and the Baltic Special Area rules.
- MARPOL Annex V Reg 10: Placards, GMP, Record Book
MARPOL Annex V Regulation 10 sets the placard, Garbage Management Plan, and Garbage Record Book duties by ship length, gross tonnage, and persons carried.
- MARPOL Annex V Reg 4: discharge outside special areas
MARPOL Annex V Reg 4: food waste at 3 or 12 nm, non-HME cargo residues at 12 nm, wash-water cleaning agents and carcasses outside special areas, en route only.
- MARPOL Annex V Reg 5: garbage from platforms
MARPOL Annex V Regulation 5 garbage rules for fixed and floating platforms and ships within 500 m: near-total ban, comminuted food waste 12 nm rule.
- MARPOL Annex V Reg 6: discharge within special areas
MARPOL Annex V Reg 6 special-area garbage rules: 12 nm comminuted food waste, conditioned non-HME cargo residues, and the prohibition on all else.
- MARPOL Annex V Regulation 7: Exceptions
MARPOL Annex V Regulation 7 sets the exceptions to the garbage discharge ban: ship safety, accidental damage, fishing gear loss and gear discharge.
- MARPOL Annex V: garbage discharge rules
Annex V Reg 3-6 garbage categories, Special Area restrictions, Garbage Management Plan, GRB entry requirements, HME cargo residue classification.
- MARPOL Annex V: Garbage from Ships
MARPOL Annex V prevents garbage pollution from ships: 9-category GRB Part I, 2-category Part II for cargo residues, plastics ban, and special area rules.
- MARPOL Annex VI
MARPOL Annex VI is the IMO instrument regulating air pollution and greenhouse-gas emissions from ships, covering NOx, SOx, particulate matter, VOC.
- MARPOL Annex VI Reg 12: ozone-depleting substances
MARPOL Annex VI Reg 12 bans deliberate ODS emissions and new ODS installations: CFCs/halons from 2005, HCFCs from 2020, plus the ODS Record Book.
- MARPOL Annex VI Reg 13: NOx emission limits
Tier I/II/III NOx limits for marine diesel engines, NTC 2008 engine-family certification, SCR + EGR + LNG compliance pathways.
- MARPOL Annex VI Reg 14: the sulphur cap
Reg 14 SOx cap evolution: 4.50 to 3.50 to 0.50% globally (2020); SECA 1.50 to 0.10% (2015); 6 SECAs incl Mediterranean 2025; scrubbers vs LSFO compliance.
- MARPOL Annex VI Reg 15: VOC emissions on tankers
Reg 15 vapour-emission control + VOC Management Plan for crude carriers; VECS per MSC/Circ.585, MEPC.185(59); Appendix VII designated ports.
- MARPOL Annex VI Reg 16: shipboard incineration
Reg 16 incinerator type-approval per MEPC.244(66): 850°C min, 0.5s residence, CO ≤200 mg/MJ; prohibited wastes; garbage + sludge alternatives.
- MARPOL Annex VI Reg 17: port reception facilities
Reg 17 port-state obligation to provide adequate reception facilities for ODS, scrubber sludge, and EGCS residues; GISIS PRF database and EU 2019/883.
- MARPOL Annex VI Reg 18: bunker delivery note
Reg 18 BDN content requirements, MARPOL fuel-oil sample retained 12 months, Appendix VI verification, ISO 8217 and FuelEU BDN extensions.
- MARPOL Annex VI sulphur cap: IMO 2020 and ECAs
MARPOL Annex VI Reg 14 caps fuel sulphur at 0.50% globally since 2020 and 0.10% in ECAs. Covers carriage ban, scrubbers, FONAR, and the 2025 Med ECA.
- MARPOL Convention: Pollution Prevention
MARPOL 73/78 is the principal IMO treaty controlling ship-source pollution through six annexes covering oil, chemicals, packaged goods, sewage, garbage, and air pollution.
- Mediterranean SECA: the 0.10% Sulphur ECA Since May 2025
The Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area under MARPOL Annex VI: MEPC.361(79), the 0.10% sulphur limit since 1 May 2025, its boundaries and compliance routes.
- Medium-Speed Four-Stroke Marine Engines
Medium-speed four-stroke marine engines: the 300-1000 rpm trunk-piston category powering propulsion and auxiliary generation across most ship types.
- MEPC.391(81): IMO LCA Guidelines for marine fuels
The 2024 IMO Lifecycle Assessment Guidelines for marine fuels: the technical foundation of GFS and FuelEU per-fuel WtW accounting.
- Metacentric height (GM)
Metacentric height GM is the primary index of a ship's initial transverse stability, governing righting moment, roll period.
- Methane Slip and N2O: The Non-CO2 GHGs
How methane slip from LNG dual-fuel engines and N2O from ammonia and SCR cut into the well-to-wake savings that fuel switching promises.
- Methane Slip from LNG Dual-Fuel Engines
Methane slip is unburned CH4 escaping LNG engine exhaust. Engine type determines slip rate; high GWP can erase the CO2 benefit of LNG.
- Methanol as marine fuel
Methanol (CH3OH) is a low-flashpoint liquid alternative fuel for ships, offering zero SOx, reduced NOx and PM.
- Methanol Marine Engines: Combustion, Types, and Fleet
How methanol-burning marine engines work: the pilot-ignition dual-fuel cycle, the MAN ME-LGIM two-stroke, four-stroke variants, and IGF Code rules.
- Mineral Concentrates: IMSBC Code Schedule
IMSBC Code generic schedule for mineral concentrates: Group A liquefaction risk, TML testing, cargo declaration, and loading precautions.
- Mirrlees Blackstone Marine Engines
History of Mirrlees Blackstone, the Stockport and Stamford builder of British medium-speed marine and rail diesel engines.
- Mitsubishi UE and UEC Two-Stroke Marine Engines
History and design of the Mitsubishi UE and UEC two-stroke marine engines, Japan's own low-speed lineage now built by J-ENG.
- Mitsui E&S DU: Japan's Oldest MAN B&W Licensee
Profile of Mitsui E&S DU, the Diesel United engine builder and oldest MAN B&W two-stroke licensee, with history, designations and product range.
- Mooring Forces and Station-Keeping
How wind, current, and wave loads are calculated, balanced by mooring line patterns, and managed under OCIMF MEG4 to keep tankers safely at berth.
- Moteurs Baudouin (Weichai) Marine Engines
Profile of Moteurs Baudouin, the French high-speed marine diesel maker founded 1918 and owned by Weichai Power since 2009.
- MS Estonia 1994: Baltic ro-ro ferry disaster, 852 deaths
MS Estonia capsize in the Baltic, 28 September 1994, after bow-visor detachment; 852 deaths; Europe's deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.
- MTU Series 2000 Marine Engine
MTU Series 2000 high-speed marine diesel: 135 mm bore, 2,450 rpm V-configurations from 720 to 1,939 kW for yachts, patrol craft, ferries, and gensets.
- MTU Series 4000 Marine Engine: Full Guide
MTU Series 4000 marine diesel: 165 mm bore, V8-V20, 750-4,300 kW, common-rail injection, sequential turbocharging, IMO Tier II/III, yachts to naval.
- MV Wakashio 2020: Mauritius Pointe d'Esny grounding + oil spill
MV Wakashio Capesize grounded 25 July 2020 off Pointe d'Esny, Mauritius; about 1,000 t fuel oil into Mahebourg Lagoon; 30+ km of coast affected.
- MV X-Press Pearl 2021: Sri Lanka container ship fire + worst plastic pellet spill
MV X-Press Pearl container ship; fire 25 May 2021 off Colombo; sank 17 June 2021; ~75 t plastic pellets and nitric acid spill; 80+ km of coastline.
- MWM Motoren-Werke Mannheim: Engine History
MWM Motoren-Werke Mannheim: from Carl Benz's 1871 Mannheim workshop through marine diesel and gas engines to Caterpillar Energy Solutions.
- N2O Emissions from Marine Engines
Nitrous oxide from marine engines: GWP-100 of 265-273, formation mechanisms, ammonia engine N2O slip, SCR side reactions, FuelEU and IMO LCA accounting.
- Nairobi Convention 1985: WIO marine environment framework
UNEP regional sea convention for the Western Indian Ocean; adopted 1985, in force 1996; 10 parties; 3 protocols including the 2010 LBSA Protocol.
- Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention 2007 (WRC)
The Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention 2007 makes the registered owner strictly liable to locate, mark and remove hazardous wrecks, with insurance from 300 GT.
- Naval and Defense Vessels: Design, Class, and Law
What legally makes a warship, why SOLAS exempts ships of war, the surface-combatant class ladder, and how naval ships are designed and classed.
- Naval Architecture Coefficients Explained
Form coefficients of naval architecture: CB, CM, CP, CWP, CVP, LCB, LCF, Admiralty coefficient, and their role in resistance and hull design.
- Naval Nuclear Propulsion: Reactors, Fleets, and Applications
How naval pressurized water reactors drive submarines, carriers, and icebreakers across six military operators and Russia''s civilian Atomflot fleet.
- Naval, Defense and Search-and-Rescue
The hub for two worlds at sea: the 1979 SAR Convention duty to rescue, and what makes a warship under UNCLOS Article 29.
- Nickel Ore: IMSBC Code Schedule and Group A Hazard
IMSBC Group A schedule for nickel ore: the TML framework, the fatal 2010-2011 liquefaction casualties, and the monsoon-loading risk.
- Niigata Power Systems Marine Engines
Niigata Power Systems, the Japanese maker of medium-speed HX engines, high-speed lines, and the Z-Peller azimuth thruster.
- NOHAB and Polar Marine Diesel Engines
History of NOHAB (Nydqvist & Holm AB) of Trollhattan, Sweden, and its Polar two-stroke and four-stroke marine diesel engine line.
- North American ECA: MARPOL Annex VI emission control area
North American ECA designated 2010 under MEPC.190(60), 0.10 percent sulphur from 2015, Tier III NOx for new keels from 2016.
- North Sea SECA + NECA: MARPOL Annex VI emission control areas
North Sea SECA (2007, 0.10 percent sulphur cap from 2015) and North Sea NECA (2021, Tier III NOx) under MARPOL Annex VI.
- Norwegian Fjords Emission Zone: zero-emission cruise rules from 2026
Norwegian Maritime Authority zero-emission cruise zone for World Heritage fjords from 2026 under Stortingsmelding 31 (2017-2018).
- Notice of Readiness (NOR)
The Notice of Readiness (NOR) is the master's notice that a ship has arrived and is ready to work cargo, starting laytime under a voyage charter.
- Noumea Convention 1986: South Pacific Marine Environment
Noumea Convention 1986: South Pacific framework treaty, 22 Parties, two 1986 Protocols in force 1990, SPREP secretariat Apia, area exceeds 30 million km².
- NOx Tier I, II and III: MARPOL Annex VI Reg.13
MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 13 establishes three NOx tiers for marine diesel engines, with limits set as a function of rated engine speed.
- NYPE 2015 Time Charter Form: Clauses, Off-Hire, Riders
NYPE 2015 is the ASBA and BIMCO dry-cargo time charter dated 3 June 2015: 57 clauses, off-hire at Clause 17, Clause 12 speed warranty, Clause 54 arbitration.
- Ocean Freight Cost and Surcharges
How the all-in ocean freight invoice is built: the base rate plus BAF, CAF, THC, ISPS, PSS, GRI, demurrage, and the surcharges behind landed cost.
- Off-hire and performance claims in time charters
Off-hire suspends hire for the time lost under the charter; a performance claim converts a speed or consumption shortfall into hire plus excess bunker cost.
- Offshore Cranes and Heavy Lifting
Offshore pedestal cranes and heavy-lift vessels, the dynamic amplification factor, splash-zone slamming, rigging SWL, and lift planning.
- Offshore Drilling and Wells: The MODU Perspective
MODU types, station-keeping, the drilling and circulation system, the BOP stack, well control barriers, and the Macondo lesson, from the marine angle.
- Offshore Permit-to-Work and Emergency Response
How offshore PTW systems, the safety-case regime, and emergency response work: hot work, isolation, SIMOPS, muster, EER, TEMPSC, and the OIM's authority.
- Offshore Support Vessels and Marine Operations
PSV, AHTS, CTV, SOV and ERRV families, bollard pull and rig moves, the 500 m safety zone, weather windows, and marine warranty surveyor planning.
- Offshore, Cruise and Specialised Operations
The offshore energy project chain, dynamic positioning, offshore support vessels, cranes and lifting, and SOLAS cruise and passenger-ship operations.
- Oil tanker
Oil tankers transport crude oil and petroleum products by sea.
- Onboard Carbon Capture for Ships
How post-combustion CO2 capture works on ships, covering amine absorption, energy penalty, regulatory crediting gaps, class AiP status, and pilot projects.
- OPRC 1990 and OPRC-HNS Protocol: spill response framework
How OPRC 1990 and the OPRC-HNS Protocol 2000 structure national plans, Tier 1/2/3 response, SOPEP duties, and regional spill cooperation.
- OSPAR Convention 1992: North-East Atlantic protection
OSPAR Convention 1992, superseding Oslo + Paris Conventions; 13.5 million km² scope; five annexes; offshore decommissioning regime under Decision 98/3.
- P&I Clubs and the International Group
A comprehensive guide to Protection and Indemnity Clubs, the International Group's pooling and reinsurance arrangements, club rules, common cover.
- Panama Canal: transit rules, tolls and NeoPanamax limits
An 80 km lock canal across the Isthmus of Panama, operated by the Panama Canal Authority, tolled on PC/UMS tonnage and bounded by NeoPanamax lock geometry.
- Parametric Rolling: SGISC Level 1 and Level 2 Criteria
Parametric rolling is resonant roll growth from cyclic GZ variation in waves, screened by the Level 1 and Level 2 vulnerability criteria of IMO MSC.1/Circ.1627.
- Paris MoU: Port State Control in Europe
The Paris MoU coordinates port State control across European and North Atlantic States: risk profiling, detention, banning, the flag performance list and CICs.
- Particularly Sensitive Sea Area: Baltic Sea
Baltic PSSA under MEPC.136(53), GOFREP and BALREP reporting, HELCOM coordination, exclusion of Russian waters, and SECA/NECA interaction.
- Particularly Sensitive Sea Area: Canary Islands
Canary Islands PSSA under MEPC.134(53), five Areas To Be Avoided, two traffic separation schemes and the CANREP mandatory ship reporting system.
- Particularly Sensitive Sea Area: Florida Keys
Florida Keys PSSA under MEPC.98(47) (2002): Areas To Be Avoided, four no-anchoring areas, and the NOAA Marine Sanctuary overlay.
- Particularly Sensitive Sea Area: Galapagos Archipelago
Galapagos PSSA under MEPC.135(53), area-to-be-avoided, deep-water route west of Isabela, post-Jessica spill 2001 designation.
- Particularly Sensitive Sea Area: Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait
GBR PSSA framework, compulsory pilotage, two-way route system, REEFREP reporting and Torres Strait extension under MEPC.44(30) and MEPC.133(53).
- Particularly Sensitive Sea Area: Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
Papahānaumokuākea PSSA under MEPC.171(57); ATBA ≥1,000 GT; UNESCO World Heritage 2010; ~939,000 km² post-2016 expansion.
- Particularly Sensitive Sea Area: Strait of Bonifacio
Strait of Bonifacio PSSA under MEPC.204(62), the France-Italy recommendatory pilotage, BONIFREP reporting and the international-strait UNCLOS limits.
- Particularly Sensitive Sea Area: Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
Tubbataha Reefs PSSA under IMO MEPC.294(71), 2017, with an ATBA for ships 150 GT and above effective 1 January 2018 in the Sulu Sea.
- Particularly Sensitive Sea Area: Wadden Sea
Trilateral Wadden Sea PSSA under MEPC.101(48), routeing measures, the Pallas 1998 incident and CWSS coordination architecture.
- Particularly Sensitive Sea Area: Western European Waters
Western European Waters PSSA under MEPC.121(52); WETREP single-hull tanker reporting; post-Erika and post-Prestige political impetus.
- Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas: IMO PSSA Guide
IMO PSSA designation under A.982(24): protecting vulnerable sea areas from international shipping through mandatory Associated Protective Measures.
- Passenger Ship: SOLAS Definition and Safety Rules
A passenger ship carries over 12 passengers under SOLAS, triggering the strictest safety regime: damage stability, fire, and lifesaving rules.
- Paxman Marine Engines
History of Paxman, the Colchester high-speed diesel builder behind the RPH, Ventura, Valenta and VP185, and its naval marine use.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: ammonia grades
Grey, blue and green ammonia well-to-wake gCO2eq/MJ under MEPC.391(81) and FuelEU Annex II, including N2O slip and RFNBO multiplier.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: bio-LNG
Bio-LNG well-to-wake gCO2eq/MJ for biomethane from manure, waste and biomass under MEPC.391(81), FuelEU Annex II and RED III sustainability criteria.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: blend methodology
Calculating mixed-fuel WtW intensity under MEPC.391(81) and FuelEU Annex II; energy-weighted average; BDN chain-of-custody; pooling.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: e-fuels (synthetic / Power-to-Liquid)
e-fuel WtW gCO2eq/MJ under MEPC.391(81) and FuelEU Annex II RFNBO; FT, methanol, Sabatier, Haber-Bosch synthesis routes; pilots.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: FAME (biodiesel)
FAME biodiesel well-to-wake gCO2eq/MJ under MEPC.391(81) and FuelEU Annex II; EN 14214; ISO 8217 B-grades; ILUC caveats.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: HFO (Heavy Fuel Oil)
HFO well-to-wake gCO2eq/MJ under MEPC.391(81) and FuelEU Annex II; ISO 8217 RM grades; scrubber economics; Antarctic ban.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil)
HVO renewable diesel well-to-wake gCO2eq/MJ under MEPC.391(81) and FuelEU Annex II; EN 15940 spec; drop-in compatibility with DMA/DMB engines.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: hydrogen
Grey, blue and green hydrogen well-to-wake gCO2eq/MJ under MEPC.391(81) and FuelEU Annex II, with liquefaction penalty and RFNBO multiplier.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: LNG (Otto vs Diesel cycle)
LNG well-to-wake gCO2eq/MJ for low-pressure Otto-cycle vs high-pressure Diesel-cycle engines under MEPC.391(81) and FuelEU Annex II.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)
LPG (propane/butane) well-to-wake gCO2eq/MJ under MEPC.391(81) and FuelEU Annex II; LPG-carrier cargo-as-fuel; ME-LGIP engines.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: methanol grades
Grey, blue, bio and e-methanol well-to-wake gCO2eq/MJ under MEPC.391(81) and FuelEU Annex II, with RFNBO multiplier eligibility.
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: nuclear marine propulsion
Nuclear marine WtW gCO2eq/MJ from uranium mining to reactor; Atomflot fleet; SMR commercial programs; IMO A.491(XII).
- Per-fuel well-to-wake intensity: VLSFO and MGO
VLSFO and MGO well-to-wake gCO2eq/MJ defaults under MEPC.391(81) and FuelEU Annex II, including refinery allocation and methane slip assumptions.
- Petroleum Coke: IMSBC Code Schedule
IMSBC Code schedules for petroleum coke: calcined and uncalcined Group B carriage, self-heating, loading temperature, dust hazards, and ventilation.
- Petter Engines: Petters Ltd of Yeovil
Petters Limited of Yeovil: builders of oil and diesel engines for marine, agricultural, and stationary use from 1895 to the 1986 Lister-Petter merger.
- Phosphate Rock: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code schedules for phosphate rock: calcined (Group C) and uncalcined (Group A/C), dust hazard, liquefaction caveat, NORM, and bulk carriage.
- Pig Iron: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code Group C schedule for pig iron: density, tanktop structural loading, hold preparation, loading sequence, and draft survey practice.
- Pilot Injection in Dual-Fuel Marine Engines
How micro-pilot diesel injection ignites gas charges in low-pressure Otto and high-pressure diesel-cycle dual-fuel two-stroke engines.
- Pilot Ladders and Accommodation Ladders
SOLAS V/23 and IMO A.1045(27) requirements for pilot ladders, accommodation ladders, and pilot transfer arrangements on commercial ships.
- Pilotage Operations: SOLAS V, IMO Rules, BRM
Marine pilotage operations: SOLAS V/23 transfer rules, IMO A.960(23) pilot training, master-pilot exchange, BRM, PEC, liability, and port-state oversight.
- Piston Crown Cooling in Slow-Speed Marine Engines
Oil cooling via telescopic pipes and the cocktail-shaker effect in slow-speed two-stroke crosshead engines: design, temperatures, monitoring, and overhaul.
- Piston Ring Pack Design: Two-Stroke Marine Engines
Ring pack architecture, CPR groove geometry, chrome-ceramic coatings, blow-by failure modes, and groove wear limits for slow-speed crosshead engines.
- Piston Rod Stuffing Box: Function and Overhaul
Construction, ring types, drain function, wear indicators, and overhaul of the piston rod stuffing box on two-stroke crosshead marine engines.
- Polar Code
The Polar Code is the IMO mandatory framework for ships operating in Arctic and Antarctic waters, covering safety, pollution prevention.
- Port Dues and Disbursements: What a Call Costs
Port dues and disbursements explained: the disbursement account, the ship agent, and every line item from tonnage dues to the agency fee.
- Port State Control: Global Inspection Regime
Port state control is how a port State inspects foreign ships against IMO and ILO conventions: targeting, clear grounds, detention, bans and regional MoUs.
- Ports and Terminals: How the System Works
What a port, terminal, and berth are; the port-call sequence; how ports are measured in TEU, draft, and crane reach; the landlord model.
- Poseidon Principles
The Poseidon Principles are a voluntary framework launched in June 2019 by eleven major ship finance banks to integrate climate considerations into ship.
- Potash: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC schedule for potash bulk cargoes: Group C, chloride corrosivity, hygroscopic caking, hold washing, and carriage of MOP and SOP.
- Probabilistic Damage Stability: SOLAS II-1
Probabilistic damage stability under SOLAS II-1 Part B-1: the Attained Index A, Required Index R, and the p-v-s factor framework for subdivision.
- Propeller Theory: From Momentum to CFD
Propeller theory: actuator-disk efficiency, blade-element and lifting-line theory, the KT/KQ/J open-water diagram, cavitation, and propulsive efficiency.
- PSSA Malpelo Island: Colombia's eastern Pacific shark refuge
Malpelo Island PSSA under MEPC.97(47), 2002, with an area-to-be-avoided for fishing vessels and ships above 500 GT off Colombia.
- PSSA Paracas National Reserve: Peru's Humboldt refuge
Paracas National Reserve PSSA under MEPC.106(49), 2003, with a tanker exclusion and a Pisco traffic separation scheme off Peru.
- PSSA Saba Bank: Caribbean Netherlands' submerged atoll PSSA (MEPC.226(58))
2008 IMO-designated PSSA covering the largest submerged atoll in the Atlantic; mandatory ATBA + No-Anchoring Area entered force 2012.
- PSSA Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago: Cuba's first Wider Caribbean Region PSSA
1997 IMO-designated PSSA covering 75,000 km² of Cuba's north-central coast; ecological criteria, APMs, MaB + RAMSAR overlay.
- PSSA: North-Western Mediterranean Sea
North-Western Mediterranean PSSA under MEPC.380(80) of 2023: recommendatory 10-13 knot vigilance zone for ships from 300 GT to cut whale strikes.
- Pulse Lubrication Systems for Marine Engines
How pulse and timed cylinder lubrication systems work on large two-stroke crosshead diesels: OEM designs, feed-rate optimization, and BN selection.
- Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: Guide
The Ramsar Convention 1971 is the oldest global environmental treaty, protecting 2,546 Wetlands of International Importance across 172 contracting parties.
- Rapeseed Meal: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC schedule reference for rapeseed meal: seed cake UN 1386 and UN 2217 classifications, Group B hazards, oil and moisture thresholds, and bulk carriage.
- Reversible laytime and despatch
Reversible laytime pools the loading and discharging allowance into one total; despatch pays the charterer for time saved under a voyage charter.
- RFNBO under EU Rules
Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) are liquid or gaseous fuels produced from renewable energy sources other than biomass.
- Rice: IMSBC Code and Grain Code Carriage
Carriage reference for rice in bulk and bags: excluded from the IMSBC Code by SOLAS VI/1-2, Grain Code stability, fumigation and moisture hazards.
- RightShip GHG Rating: the vessel efficiency letter
RightShip GHG Rating: the commercial per-vessel greenhouse-gas letter built on the EVDI design index, how it is banded, verified and used in chartering.
- Ro-ro vessel
A ro-ro vessel is a ship that loads and discharges wheeled and tracked cargo via ramps.
- Rolls-Royce Power Systems and MTU Corporate History
Corporate history of Rolls-Royce Power Systems and the mtu brand: Friedrichshafen origins, Tognum, the 2014 acquisition, decarbonization.
- Rudder and Steering Systems: SOLAS Guide
How ship rudders and steering gear work, SOLAS II-1 Reg 29 requirements, IACS rudder-force rules, and the main steering-gear types.
- Ruston Marine and Industrial Engines
History of Ruston & Hornsby of Lincoln: the Hornsby-Akroyd hot-bulb engine, the RK series, and the corporate path to MAN and Siemens.
- Salt: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code schedule for sodium chloride bulk cargo: Group C, chloride corrosivity to steel, hygroscopic caking, de-icing and chemical industry trades.
- Salvage Convention 1989: Article 13, 14, SCOPIC
The 1989 Salvage Convention: no-cure-no-pay Article 13, environmental safety-net Article 14, and the SCOPIC contractual clause in LOF practice.
- Sand: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code carriage rules for sand: Group C silica sand, the silicosis dust hazard, fines Group A caveat, and dense heavy mineral sands.
- Satcom and Vessel Tracking: How Ships Connect
How ships communicate and are tracked: GMDSS and the sea areas, Inmarsat and Iridium, VSAT and LEO broadband, AIS under SOLAS V/19, and LRIT.
- Scavenge Port Geometry and Timing in Two-Stroke Engines
Port shape, height, angle, time-area integral, and timing interactions with the exhaust valve in slow-speed two-stroke marine diesel engines.
- Scotts Shipbuilding Greenock: 1711 to 1984
History of Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Co of Greenock: six generations of the Scott family, warships, submarines, and the marine engine works.
- SCR Retrofit on Two-Stroke Marine Engines
Selective catalytic reduction retrofits on slow-speed two-stroke engines: high vs low-pressure placement, urea, catalyst care, Tier III.
- Sea Cargo Charter: Climate Framework for Charterers
The Sea Cargo Charter is the charterer-side climate disclosure framework launched in October 2020, aligning shipping activities with IMO net-zero goals.
- Sea Trials and Performance Testing
ISO 15016/19030, EEDI verification, and IMO MSC.137(76) manoeuvring criteria: the complete guide to newbuild and in-service ship trials.
- Seakeeping: Ship Performance in Waves
Seakeeping assesses how well a ship maintains speed, safety, and operability in waves, using RAOs, wave spectra, and NORDFORSK criteria.
- Search and Rescue: How Maritime SAR Works
The 1979 SAR Convention, RCCs and the SMC/OSC/ACO structure, the IAMSAR Manual, search patterns, the duty to assist, and GMDSS alerting.
- SEEMP I, II and III
The Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) is the ship-specific document required by MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 22.
- Selective catalytic reduction (marine NOx Tier III)
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) removes nitrogen oxides from marine engine exhaust using ammonia over a catalyst to meet MARPOL Annex VI Tier III NOx.
- SEMT-Pielstick Marine Diesel Engines
History of SEMT-Pielstick: French medium-speed marine diesel designer, the PA and PC engine families, the licensing model, and the 2006 MAN acquisition.
- Sewage Holding Tank Sizing for Ships
How to size a marine sewage holding tank: per-person flow rates, retention time, margin, and the MARPOL Annex IV discharge windows that set the volume.
- SFOC Curves: Load, Tuning, and Correction
How SFOC curves are shaped, why they''re U-shaped, how tuning points and ISO 3046 corrections work, and how operators use them for CII and voyage planning.
- Ship Anchors and Anchor Handling Equipment
How the IACS Equipment Number sizes a ship's anchors, stud-link chain grades, windlass and chain stopper, and why that outfit is a harbour standard only.
- Ship Cargo Gear: Cranes, Derricks and Lifting Appliances
Ship cargo gear is the shipboard lifting plant of cranes, derricks, wires and loose gear, certified by safe working load and recorded in a chain register.
- Ship Efficiency Indices: EEDI, EEXI and CII
The IMO ship-efficiency metrics: EEDI for newbuilds, EEXI for existing ships, the operational CII rating, and AER versus cgDIST.
- Ship finance and asset valuation
The ship as a capital asset: how earnings capitalize into hull value, the SALEFORM deposit, newbuilding instalments, mortgage LTV covenants and LDT scrap value.
- Ship Lines Plan: Hull Geometry Reference
The lines plan defines a ship's hull shape in three orthogonal projections. Learn how body plan, sheer plan, and half-breadth plan work together.
- Ship Motions: Six DOF in a Seaway
The six rigid-body motions of a ship in waves, their natural periods, RAOs, encounter frequency, resonance, roll damping, and operational consequences.
- Ship resistance and powering
Ship resistance and powering quantifies the forces opposing a vessel's motion and the engine power required to overcome them at a given speed.
- Ship Resistance Components: Full Breakdown
How total hull resistance decomposes into frictional, viscous-pressure, wave-making, appendage, and air components, with ITTC-78 extrapolation.
- Ship Sale and Purchase: The MOA, Saleform and Closing
How secondhand ships are bought and sold under the Norwegian Saleform MOA: deposit, inspection, NOR, delivery documents, liens, defaults and demolition sales.
- Ship Squat: Shallow-Water Sinkage and UKC
Ship squat is the bodily sinkage and trim change a vessel undergoes in shallow or confined water, caused by Bernoulli return-flow pressure drop.
- Ship Vibration: Hull, Propeller and Engine Excitation
How propeller blade-rate, engine free forces, and hull-girder modes combine to drive ship vibration; ISO 6954 limits and class comfort notations.
- Shipping Climate Finance and GHG Ratings
How the Poseidon Principles, Sea Cargo Charter, RightShip GHG Rating, ESI rebates, and carbon credits push ship decarbonization via finance.
- SIRE 2.0: OCIMF Tanker Inspection Programme
How OCIMF SIRE 2.0 works: VIQ7 question structure, inspector accreditation, observation categories, RCA workflow, and vetting decisions.
- Slow steaming and CII: the speed lever
How cutting service speed moves a ship's IMO Carbon Intensity Indicator rating, with the cubic-law mechanism and a worked AER example.
- Slow Steaming and Engine Cleanliness
How sustained low-load slow steaming drives cold corrosion, gas-path fouling and deposits in two-stroke marine diesels, and how to manage them.
- Slow Steaming: speed, fuel and carbon intensity
Slow steaming runs a ship below design speed to cut fuel. The speed-power law, the optimum speed, the engine limits, the charter clauses and the CII effect.
- Smart Shipping and Autonomy: The Three Layers
The three layers of marine technology: engine-room automation, the IMO MASS degrees of autonomy, and satcom and vessel tracking.
- Soda Ash: IMSBC Code Schedule and Bulk Carriage
IMSBC Code Group C schedule for soda ash (sodium carbonate): dust hazards, caking, metal attack, light vs dense grades, and bulk handling.
- SOLAS Chapter I: General Provisions, Surveys and Certificates
SOLAS Chapter I sets out application, survey cycles, certificates, Regulation I/19 PSC control, and the HSSC survey-and-certification framework.
- SOLAS Chapter II-1: Construction and Stability
SOLAS Chapter II-1 sets construction, subdivision, damage stability, machinery and electrical rules for merchant ships on international voyages.
- SOLAS Chapter II-2: Fire Protection, Detection, Extinction
SOLAS Chapter II-2 sets the fire protection, detection and extinction requirements for merchant ships on international voyages.
- SOLAS Chapter III: Life-Saving Appliances
SOLAS Chapter III sets life-saving appliance and arrangement rules for ships through the mandatory LSA Code (MSC.48(66)).
- SOLAS Chapter IV: Radio Communications and the GMDSS
SOLAS Chapter IV governs radio communications on merchant ships through the GMDSS, as modernized by MSC.496(105) in force 1 January 2024.
- SOLAS Chapter V: Safety of Navigation
SOLAS Chapter V regulation by regulation: scope, radar, ECDIS, AIS, VDR and BNWAS carriage, pilot transfer, routeing, SAR duties and voyage planning rules.
- SOLAS Chapter VI: Carriage of Cargoes and Oil Fuels
SOLAS Chapter VI sets the principal requirements for the carriage of cargoes and oil fuels by merchant ships engaged on international voyages.
- SOLAS Chapter VII: Carriage of Dangerous Goods
SOLAS Chapter VII covers dangerous goods in five parts: IMDG, IMSBC, IBC, IGC and INF Codes. Scope, IMDG 42-24, documents, segregation, PSC and crew training.
- SOLAS Chapter VIII: Nuclear Ships
SOLAS Chapter VIII establishes the safety regime for nuclear-powered merchant ships.
- SOLAS Chapter X: Safety Measures for High-Speed Craft
SOLAS Chapter X makes the 1994 and 2000 HSC Codes mandatory for high-speed craft, covering certification, operational limits, and the speed threshold.
- SOLAS Chapter XI-1: Special Measures to Enhance Maritime Safety
SOLAS Chapter XI-1 sets out additional measures to enhance maritime safety not falling neatly within other chapters.
- SOLAS Chapter XI-2: Maritime Security and ISPS Code
SOLAS Chapter XI-2 made the ISPS Code mandatory from 1 July 2004; 13 regulations covering SSAS, ISSC, SSO, CSO, PFSO, security levels, and cyber risk.
- SOLAS Chapter XII: Bulk Carrier Safety Measures
SOLAS Chapter XII sets the structural, damage stability, survey, and operational safety requirements specific to bulk carriers.
- SOLAS Chapter XIII: Verification of Compliance
SOLAS Chapter XIII establishes the regulatory framework for verification of compliance by IMO Member States with the principal IMO instruments.
- SOLAS Chapter XIV: Safety in Polar Waters
SOLAS Chapter XIV makes the Polar Code Part I-A mandatory: in force 1 January 2017, with Polar Ship Categories A/B/C and the PWOM.
- SOLAS Chapter XV: Industrial Personnel
SOLAS Chapter XV is one of the newest chapters of SOLAS, adopted in 2022 (Resolution MSC.521(106)) and entered into force on 1 July 2024.
- SOLAS Convention
SOLAS 1974 sets minimum safety standards for ship construction, equipment, and operation on international voyages; 160+ Contracting Governments are parties.
- Soya Beans: IMSBC Code and Grain Code Guide
Soya beans bulk carriage: grain under SOLAS VI/1-2, Grain Code stability, self-heating, oxygen depletion, fumigation and the seed cake boundary.
- SPAW Protocol 1990: Caribbean Biodiversity Treaty
The SPAW Protocol 1990 protects specially designated areas and wildlife in the Wider Caribbean under the Cartagena Convention framework.
- Specialised Ship Types: Ro-ro, Reefer, Heavy-Lift
Ro-ro and car carriers in CEU, ro-pax ferries, reefers, heavy-lift float-on ships, livestock carriers, dredgers, and multipurpose vessels.
- Specific fuel oil consumption (SFOC)
Specific fuel oil consumption (SFOC) is the mass of fuel a marine engine burns per unit of brake power, in g/kWh; modern two-strokes reach about 155-170.
- Speed and consumption warranties in time charters
How a time charter speed and consumption warranty works: the about margin, good weather sampling, extrapolation, the English case law and the claim calculation.
- Statement of Facts
The Statement of Facts is the chronological port event log signed by master and agent that is the evidentiary basis for laytime and demurrage.
- STCW Chapter II: Masters and Deck Department Officers
STCW Chapter II Regulations II/1 through II/5 govern OOW, master, chief mate, RFPNW and AB certification with Manila 2010 as the current in-force baseline.
- STCW Chapter III: Engine Department Officer + Rating Cert
STCW Chapter III Reg III/1 OICEW 750 kW, III/2 chief/second engineer 3,000 kW, III/6 ETO, III/7 ETR; Manila 2010 amendments baseline.
- STCW Chapter V: Special Training Requirements
STCW Chapter V special training: V/1-1 oil/chem and V/1-2 gas tankers, V/2 passenger ships, V/3 IGF Code, V/4 Polar Code; basic and advanced.
- STCW Chapter VI: Emergency, Safety, Security + Survival
STCW Chapter VI Reg VI/1-VI/6 mandatory training: PST, FPFF, EFA, PSSR, survival craft, advanced firefighting, medical first aid, SSO, security awareness.
- STCW Chapter VIII: Watchkeeping + Rest Hours
STCW Chapter VIII Reg VIII/1 fitness for duty, VIII/2 arrangements, VIII/3 sea and port watch; Manila 2010 rest hours; BRM, ERM and MLC 2006.
- STCW Convention
The STCW Convention is the 1978 IMO treaty setting global minimum standards for seafarer training, certification, and watchkeeping.
- Steel Scrap: IMSBC Schedule and Carriage Guide
IMSBC schedule for bulk steel scrap: Group C, the ferrous-borings UN 2793 Class 4.2 hazard, tanktop damage, contamination, and hold preparation.
- Stirling Air-Independent Propulsion for Submarines
Stirling AIP lets a conventional submarine stay submerged for weeks via closed-cycle diesel combustion with stored liquid oxygen and no atmospheric air.
- Stockholm Agreement
The Stockholm Agreement (1996) is the regional water-on-deck damage stability standard for ro-ro passenger ferries in NW Europe and the Baltic.
- Stork-Werkspoor Diesel: Dutch Marine Engines
History of Stork-Werkspoor Diesel (SWD), the Dutch medium-speed marine engine maker absorbed by Wartsila in 1989, from Werkspoor's 1910 Vulcanus.
- Strait of Malacca: routeing, STRAITREP and transit rules
The Strait of Malacca is the international strait between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, under UNCLOS transit passage, IMO routeing and STRAITREP reporting.
- SUA Convention 1988: Maritime Security Law
SUA 1988 criminalises maritime violence, mandates prosecute-or-extradite. 2005 Protocols added WMD transport offences and the Article 8bis boarding regime.
- Subdivision and Floodable Length: SOLAS II-1
The deterministic floodable-length method, ship subdivision history, and how probabilistic A/R indexing replaced it for cargo and passenger ships in 2009.
- Subsea, Pipelay and Offshore Installation
S-lay, J-lay and reel-lay pipelay, SURF systems, subsea trees, trenching, riser analysis and the construction vessels that build the seabed.
- Suez Canal: convoy transits, SCNT dues and draft limits
A 193.30 km lock-free sea-level waterway across Egypt, operated by the Suez Canal Authority, tolled on Suez Canal Net Tonnage and transited by scheduled convoy.
- Sugar: IMSBC Code Schedule and Bulk Carriage
IMSBC Code schedule for bulk sugar: Group C cargo, caking, mould, dust hazards, molasses residue, food-grade hold preparation, and global trade flows.
- Sulphur: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
IMSBC Code schedules for bulk sulphur: SULPHUR (formed, solid) as Group C against UN 1350 crushed lump as Group B class 4.1, dust explosion and corrosion.
- Sulzer Marine Diesel Engines: History 1898 to WinGD
History of Sulzer marine diesel engines from the 1898 first engine through RD, RND, RTA, RT-flex, and the 2015 WinGD transition.
- Supplementary Fund Protocol 2003: third-tier oil pollution
2003 Protocol provides a third tier of compensation up to 750 million SDR per incident on top of CLC 1992 and the IOPC Fund 1992; in force 3 March 2005.
- Surplus Units Under the IMO Net-Zero Framework
A surplus unit is issued when a ship beats the draft IMO direct compliance target. It can be transferred, banked or cancelled, never pooled or used on Tier 1.
- Tanker Size Classes: MR to ULCC Explained
Tanker size classes from MR product carriers to ULCC crude carriers: deadweight bands, the trades they serve, and where the class names come from.
- Tehran Convention 2003: Caspian Sea Framework Convention
The 2003 Tehran Convention protects the ~371,000 km2 Caspian Sea; 5 littoral parties; 4 protocols, 2 in force (Aktau 2016, Moscow 2023), 2 adopted but pending.
- Tier III Two-Stroke Engines: NOx Compliance Guide
How slow-speed two-stroke marine engines meet IMO NOx Tier III via EGR, SCR, or dual-fuel gas, with NECA rules, mode switching, and maker offerings.
- Time Charter Equivalent (TCE) in Shipping Explained
Time Charter Equivalent (TCE) is a vessel's daily earnings: voyage revenue minus voyage costs, divided by voyage days. See the formula, example and uses.
- Time charter party: hire, off-hire and redelivery
A time charter party hires a vessel with her crew for a period. How hire, off-hire, the employment clause, speed warranties and redelivery allocate risk between owner and charterer.
- Tokyo MoU: Port State Control in the Asia-Pacific
The Tokyo MoU coordinates port State control for 22 Asia-Pacific Authorities: the New Inspection Regime, detention, performance lists, APCIS and joint CICs.
- Tonnage measurement of ships
Tonnage measurement of ships covers gross tonnage, net tonnage, and the 1969 International Tonnage Convention that replaced register tons with.
- Torres Strait PSSA: Compulsory Pilotage Dispute
Torres Strait PSSA under MEPC.133(53), 2005 extension of the Great Barrier Reef PSSA, compulsory pilotage, two-way route and the UNCLOS transit-passage dispute.
- Towage and Salvage Operations
Legal and operational guide to towage and salvage: Salvage Convention 1989, LOF 2020, SCOPIC, Nairobi WRC 2007, TOWCON/TOWHIRE 2021.
- Trim and list
Trim and list are the longitudinal and transverse inclinations of a ship in still water, governed by weight distribution, metacentric height.
- Trim Optimisation
Trim optimisation is the operational practice of selecting the longitudinal trim (difference between forward and aft draught) that minimises the total.
- Trunk Piston Engine Architecture Explained
How trunk-piston engines work: the no-crosshead direct-acting layout, side thrust, shared lube-oil system, and why it defines medium-speed marine diesels.
- Two-Stroke Engine Future Developments
How slow-speed two-stroke marine engines are being redesigned for ammonia, methanol, LNG, and LPG, plus carbon capture, hybridisation, and digital control.
- Two-Stroke Marine Diesel Engine Fundamentals
How the slow-speed two-stroke crosshead engine works: uniflow scavenging, the load diagram, SFOC, NOx tiers, and dual-fuel modes.
- UK ETS for Shipping
The UK Emissions Trading Scheme covers domestic maritime emissions from ships of 5,000 GT and above from 1 July 2026 under the UK ETS Authority.
- UN/LOCODE: structure, function codes, status flags
UNECE 5-character port and trade location code. ~116,000 codes under Recommendation 16, refreshed twice yearly, used in EDIFACT and customs.
- UNCLOS overview for shipping
UNCLOS, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, defines maritime zones, flag state duties, innocent passage.
- UNEP Regional Seas Programme: Conventions and Scope
UNEP Regional Seas Programme (1974): 18 regional conventions and action plans protecting shared marine environments across 146 coastal states.
- UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme
The UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme designates biosphere reserves reconciling biodiversity conservation with sustainable development.
- Uniflow Scavenging in Two-Stroke Marine Engines
How uniflow scavenging works in slow-speed two-stroke marine engines: port geometry, exhaust valve timing, turbocharging, and efficiency metrics.
- Union Registry maritime accounts (MOHA)
Maritime Operator Holding Account architecture, opening procedures, transaction types, and trustee model for non-EU operators under (EU) 2019/1122.
- Urea: IMSBC Schedule and Bulk Cargo Carriage
IMSBC Code schedule for urea (CO(NH2)2): Group C, hygroscopic caking, ammonia release, hold preparation, ventilation, and bulk carriage controls.
- US Caribbean ECA: MARPOL Annex VI emission control area
US Caribbean ECA designated 2011 under MEPC.202(62), 0.10 percent sulphur from 2015, Tier III NOx for new keels from 2016.
- Voluntary Carbon Credits in Shipping
How shipping uses the voluntary carbon market, book-and-claim chain of custody, and insetting to fund and allocate low-carbon fuel benefits.
- Volvo Penta Marine Engines and the IPS Pod Drive
Volvo Penta: Swedish maker of high-speed marine diesels, the Aquamatic sterndrive, and the IPS forward-facing pod drive.
- Voyage charter party: laytime, demurrage and freight
A voyage charter party is a contract of affreightment under which an owner carries a stated cargo between named ports for freight, with laytime and demurrage.
- Voyage Data Recorder (VDR + S-VDR): SOLAS V/20 marine black box
VDR and S-VDR per SOLAS V/20 and MSC.333(90); 48-hour protected audio/radar/ECDIS/GNSS capture; float-free capsule; cost USD 30-80k; 5-year overhaul.
- Voyage estimation: building a TCE before fixing
A voyage estimate reduces freight, bunkers, port costs, canal dues and EU compliance cost to one Time Charter Equivalent in USD per day before a ship is fixed.
- Vulcanus (1910): First Sea-Going Diesel Motor Ship
The MS Vulcanus (1910), a Shell tanker powered by a Werkspoor six-cylinder diesel, holds the Guinness record as the first sea-going motor ship.
- War Risk and High-Risk-Area Transit
How war-risk cover, JWC Listed Areas, BMP5 hardening, the IRTC, and UKMTO reporting govern a transit through a high-risk area.
- War Risks Insurance: Marine Cover, JWC Areas and AP
War risks insurance is the marine cover for war, capture, seizure, mines and terrorism excluded from Hull and Machinery under the Institute War Clauses.
- Wartsila 20: Medium-Speed Marine Engine Guide
The Wartsila 20 is a 200 mm bore, four-stroke medium-speed marine diesel for auxiliary gensets and small-vessel propulsion, rated up to 1,800 kW.
- Wartsila 31: World-Record Medium-Speed Marine Engine
Technical reference for the Wartsila 31 medium-speed engine: 310 mm bore, 165 g/kWh world-record SFOC, diesel, dual-fuel, spark-gas, and methanol variants.
- Wartsila 32: Medium-Speed Four-Stroke Marine Engine
Technical reference for the Wartsila 32 medium-speed engine: 320 mm bore, 580 kW/cylinder, diesel and dual-fuel variants, IMO Tier III compliance.
- Wartsila 46F: Medium-Speed Four-Stroke Marine Engine
Reference to the Wartsila 46F medium-speed four-stroke engine: large-bore output to 21.6 MW, 46DF/50DF dual-fuel siblings, LNG/cruise/FPSO use.
- Wartsila 50DF: Dual-Fuel Medium-Speed Marine Engine
The Wartsila 50DF is a 500 mm bore four-stroke dual-fuel engine rated 950-975 kW/cylinder, widely used in LNG carriers, FSRUs, and power plants.
- Wartsila Corporate History
Corporate and technical history of Wartsila, the Finnish maker of four-stroke medium-speed marine engines, from 1834 to the WinGD split.
- Waste heat recovery system
Waste heat recovery systems on ships capture exhaust and cooling energy from marine diesel engines to generate steam or electricity.
- Weather Routing
Weather routing is the operational practice of selecting and adjusting a ship's voyage route in real time based on weather forecasts.
- Well-to-Wake Fuel Pathways: Life-Cycle GHG
How marine fuels are scored on a well-to-wake basis: WtT vs TtW, the GWP100 CO2/CH4/N2O sum, IMO LCA defaults, and feedstock dependence.
- Well-to-Wake Intensity
Well-to-wake (WtW) intensity is the life-cycle greenhouse-gas emission intensity of a marine fuel expressed in g-CO2eq/MJ.
- Wetted Surface Area of a Ship Hull
Wetted surface area is the underwater hull area in contact with water, the direct multiplier in frictional resistance and a key driver of fuel use.
- What is CII? Carbon Intensity Indicator explained
The IMO Carbon Intensity Indicator: how the annual A-E rating works, which ships are in scope, and how attained CII is measured against the required line.
- What is EEDI? Energy Efficiency Design Index
The IMO Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI): how attained and required values are calculated for new ships under MARPOL Annex VI Chapter 4.
- What is EEXI? Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index
EEXI is the IMO one-off design-efficiency check for existing ships above 400 GT under MARPOL Annex VI Reg 23 and 25.
- Wheat: IMSBC Code and Grain Code Carriage
Carriage reference for bulk wheat: excluded from the IMSBC Code by SOLAS VI/1-2, the International Grain Code stability regime, fumigation and dust hazards.
- Wider Caribbean Region: Cartagena Convention
The Wider Caribbean Region is the 1983 Cartagena Convention treaty area: the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and adjacent Atlantic, under UNEP CEP.
- Wind-Assisted Propulsion: WASP Guide
How Flettner rotors, wing sails, suction sails, and towing kites reduce fuel and CO2 on commercial ships, with EEXI/CII regulatory treatment.
- WinGD (Winterthur Gas & Diesel): Corporate History
Corporate history of WinGD, the Swiss two-stroke marine engine designer, heir to Sulzer and now owned by CSSC of China.
- WinGD X-DF Engine: Low-Pressure Dual-Fuel Architecture
WinGD X-DF low-pressure dual-fuel two-stroke engine: gas admission, pilot ignition, iCER EGR, methane slip, NOx Tier III, and fuel variants.
- Wood Pellets: IMSBC Code Schedule and Carriage
Wood pellets are a Group B MHB cargo carried under two IMSBC schedules, whose off-gassing depletes oxygen and releases carbon monoxide into connected spaces.
- World Port Profiles: How to Read a Port Card
What a port profile records and how to read one: approach and draft, berth length, crane reach, throughput, hinterland, and the green-index scores.
- Worldscale Explained: Tanker Freight Rates and WS100
Worldscale is the tanker industry's nominal freight-rate scale: WS100 is the annual flat rate in $/tonne, and market rates are quoted as a % of it.
- Yanmar Marine Diesel Engines
Profile of Yanmar Co., Ltd., the Osaka diesel maker, covering its high-speed 6LY and 8LV leisure diesels and EY medium-speed commercial marine engines.
- Zinc Concentrate: IMSBC Code Schedule
Zinc concentrate is a Group A and MHB IMSBC cargo, liable to liquefy above its TML and to deplete hold oxygen through sulphide oxidation.