Maritime glossary,
in plain words.
The abbreviations seafarers and ship management offices use every day, explained briefly, with links to more detail.
39 terms, A to Z
Abbreviations used on board and in ship management offices, from CDC and CII to SIRE 2.0 and TMSA.
- CDC (Continuous Discharge Certificate)
- An Indian seafarer's identity and sea-service document issued by DGMA (formerly DG Shipping), in which sign-on and sign-off are recorded.
- CII (Carbon Intensity Indicator)
- An operational rating (A to E) under MARPOL Annex VI that measures how efficiently a ship of 5,000 GT and above carries cargo or passengers, based on CO2 emitted per unit of transport work.
- COC (Certificate of Competency)
- The STCW certificate that qualifies an officer or engineer to serve in a given capacity, such as Master, Chief Mate or Second Engineer.
- COLREGs (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972)
- The rules of the road at sea: steering and sailing rules, lights and shapes, and sound and light signals. More about COLREGs.
- Defect (Defect (ship equipment))
- A fault or non-conformity in a ship's hull, machinery or equipment, recorded, repaired or deferred with reason, and closed. More about Defect.
- DG Shipping (Directorate General of Shipping)
- The former name of DGMA, India's maritime administration. Many documents and portals, such as eSamudra, still use the old name. More about DG Shipping.
- DGMA (Directorate General of Maritime Administration)
- India's maritime administration under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, formerly the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping). It handles seafarer certification, ship safety and recruitment and placement licensing. More about DGMA.
- DMLC (Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance)
- Part of a ship's MLC certification. Part I is issued by the flag state and lists national requirements; Part II is drawn up by the shipowner and describes how they are met on board.
- DMS (Document management system)
- Software that controls a company's manuals, procedures and forms so that every vessel uses the current approved revision, in line with ISM Code section 11 (Documentation). More about DMS.
- DOC (Document of Compliance)
- The ISM certificate issued to the Company (the ship manager or owner) showing that its safety management system complies with the ISM Code.
- DPA (Designated Person Ashore)
- The person(s) appointed by the Company under ISM Code section 4 with direct access to the highest level of management, providing a link between the ship and the office.
- EEXI (Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index)
- A one-time technical energy-efficiency requirement under MARPOL Annex VI for existing ships of 400 GT and above, in force since 2023.
- ERP (Maritime ERP)
- Enterprise resource planning software for shipping companies, combining technical, safety, crew, procurement and reporting functions in one system. More about ERP.
- GRN (Goods received note)
- The record confirming that ordered stores or spares have been delivered on board, closing the purchase order and updating inventory. More about GRN.
- Hours of rest
- The minimum rest seafarers must have under MLC 2006 and STCW: at least 10 hours in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any 7-day period. More about Hours of rest.
- HSSEQ (Health, safety, security, environment and quality)
- The function in a shipping company that manages incidents, investigations, corrective actions, audits and management of change. More about HSSEQ.
- IMPA code (IMPA Marine Stores Guide code)
- A six-digit code from the International Marine Purchasing Association's catalogue that identifies ship stores and provisions, used to order the right item from any supplier.
- INDoS (Indian National Database of Seafarers)
- The DGMA (formerly DG Shipping) database in which every Indian seafarer is registered with a unique INDoS number used for courses, certificates and sea service.
- IOPP (International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate)
- The MARPOL Annex I certificate confirming that a ship's oil pollution prevention equipment and arrangements comply.
- ISM Code (International Safety Management Code)
- The SOLAS Chapter IX code requiring shipping companies to run a documented safety management system ashore and on board.
- MLC 2006 (Maritime Labour Convention, 2006)
- The ILO convention setting seafarers' rights on employment, wages, hours of rest, accommodation, medical care and repatriation. More about MLC 2006.
- MOC (Management of change)
- A controlled process for assessing and approving changes to procedures, equipment, organisation or crewing before they are made. More about MOC.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused injury, damage or pollution but did not. Reporting near misses is a core part of the ISM safety culture. More about Near miss.
- Noon report
- The daily report a ship sends to the office with position, speed, distance, consumption, remaining fuel and weather.
- OCIMF (Oil Companies International Marine Forum)
- The industry body behind the SIRE and OVID inspection programmes and the TMSA self-assessment guide.
- Oil Record Book
- The MARPOL Annex I record of machinery-space oil operations (Part I) and, on oil tankers, cargo and ballast operations (Part II).
- PMS (Planned maintenance system)
- The system that schedules and records maintenance of a ship's equipment by calendar interval or running hours, with job history and spare parts. More about PMS.
- PSC (Port state control)
- Inspection of foreign ships in a country's ports to verify that they comply with international conventions. Regional agreements such as the Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU coordinate it. More about PSC.
- PTW (Permit to work)
- A written authorisation for hazardous work such as hot work or enclosed space entry, with checks, isolation and signatures before work starts.
- ROB (Remaining on board)
- The quantity of fuel, lubricants, water or cargo remaining on board at a given time, usually reported in the noon report. More about ROB.
- RPSL (Recruitment and Placement Service Licence)
- The licence issued by India's DGMA (formerly DG Shipping) to agencies that recruit and place seafarers, with audited obligations under the RPS rules and MLC. More about RPSL.
- SEA (Seafarers' Employment Agreement)
- The written employment contract required by MLC 2006, signed by the seafarer and the shipowner or their representative. More about SEA.
- SEEMP (Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan)
- A ship-specific plan under MARPOL Annex VI; Part III sets out how the ship will achieve its required CII.
- SIRE 2.0 (Ship Inspection Report Programme 2.0)
- OCIMF's revised tanker inspection regime, with a risk-based question library and photographic and human-factors elements. More about SIRE 2.0.
- SMC (Safety Management Certificate)
- The ISM certificate issued to an individual ship confirming that it operates in accordance with the Company's approved safety management system.
- SMS (Safety management system)
- The documented system required by the ISM Code that sets out a Company's safety and environmental policy, procedures, responsibilities and reporting. More about SMS.
- STCW (International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers)
- The IMO convention setting minimum training, certification and watchkeeping standards, including hours of rest.
- TMSA (Tanker Management and Self Assessment)
- OCIMF's best-practice guide that tanker operators use to assess and improve their management systems against defined elements and KPIs.
- VMS (Vessel management system)
- Ship-management software covering each vessel's maintenance, certificates, inspections, safety, crew and purchasing. Not to be confused with a vessel monitoring system for position reporting. More about VMS.
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