N

Not Always Afloat But Safely Aground

The government bodies of a state responsible for maritime matters, such as the flag administration and port and coastal authorities, which implement and enforce international and national requirements. IMO-grounded

shipping policies in all sectors of shipping, to coordinate and present the

In a power converter, the turning-off of a switching device by the natural reversal of the supply, as opposed to forced commutation.

The frequency at which a structure or system tends to vibrate freely; matching it with an exciting frequency causes resonance, which must be avoided in shafting and structure.

Natural gas from which the heavier liquefiable hydrocarbons and water have been removed, leaving mainly methane.

Natural gas used as fuel for ship engines, offering lower emissions than oil fuels; its use is governed by the IGF Code under SOLAS. IMO-grounded

A map of a sea area showing depths, hazards, aids to navigation, and coastlines, used for safe navigation; carriage of up-to-date charts is required under SOLAS chapter V. IMO-grounded

A unit of distance used at sea, equal to 1,852 metres, approximately one minute of latitude.

The engineering discipline concerned with the design, construction, and behaviour of ships and floating structures, covering form, strength, stability, and propulsion.

The bridge position equipped with the controls and displays needed to navigate and manoeuvre the ship.

The art and science of safely directing a ship from one place to another, determining position, course, and speed.

External and shipborne devices that assist navigation, such as buoys, lights, radar, and electronic positioning systems.

A vessel used to service and maintain navigational marks such as buoys and beacons.

The lights a vessel must show at night and in restricted visibility to indicate its presence, type, and aspect, as prescribed by the collision regulations (COLREGs). IMO-grounded

The officer responsible for the ship's navigation, including passage planning and position fixing.

An automated international service that broadcasts navigational and meteorological warnings and other safety information to ships by direct-printing telegraphy, part of the GMDSS. IMO-grounded

National Cargo Bureau

The local reduction in cross-section of a ductile material under tension before it fractures, seen in tensile testing.

Imprudent action or omission which may cause injury, damage or loss

In terms of documents, ‘negotiable’ means that e.g. a Bill of Lading is handed over/transferred in the right manner (viz. proper endorsement) to another person either endorsed in blank or endorsed to a person and that person acquires, by this transfer certain rights vis-a-vis the goods e.g. is entitled to take possession of the goods.

Implies that cargo is presented stacked in the contour of similarly shaped cargo, it may be likened to a stack of plates. This is particularly relevant in the presentation of tankage strakes for transport.

Cutting devices fitted to protect a vessel or its equipment from entanglement in nets, or used in fishing operations.

A manifest containing all freight details including negotiated disbursements

The hauling aboard of a fishing net and its catch.

The measure of the useful capacity of a vessel determined in accordance with the provisions of the international convention on tonnage measurement of vessels.

A dimensionless measure of a ship's useful cargo-carrying volume, derived by formula in the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969, from the moulded volume of the cargo spaces. It is used as a basis for port dues and certain regulatory thresholds. IMO-grounded

The weight of the goods, excluding all packing.

Describes how all buyers and sellers benefit when a new market participant is added. The network effect produces a cycle with more buyers attracting more sellers and more sellers attracting more buyers. Robert Metcalfe created the notion that the value of a network grows by the square of the number of participants. Synonym: Metcalfe’s Law. (See liquidity, critical mass.)

A technique for making a time schedule for the implementation of a project.

A synthetic rubber resistant to oil and fuel, used for seals, gaskets, and hoses where oil resistance is needed.

Equipment that produces nitrogen from air, for example by membrane or pressure-swing adsorption, used to inert tanks and spaces aboard ship. IMO-grounded

Pollutant gases formed during high-temperature combustion in engines; their emission from ships is limited under MARPOL Annex VI and the NOx Technical Code. IMO-grounded

A nitrogen-oxygen compound that is a potent greenhouse gas, also produced in small amounts by combustion. IMO-grounded

Nautical Mile. One minute of latitude; approximately 6,076 feet – about 1/8 longer than the statute mile of 5,280 feet

A point of a vibrating system that remains stationary; also a connection point in a structure or network.

The IMO Code on Noise Levels on Board Ships, which sets limits on noise in various spaces to protect seafarers' health and provide acceptable working and living conditions. IMO-grounded

A party who undertakes to carry goods and issues in his own name a Bill of

Material that neither burns nor gives off flammable vapours in sufficient quantity to ignite when heated, as defined and tested under SOLAS for fire-resisting construction. IMO-grounded

A grease using an inorganic thickener, such as clay, suited to high-temperature applications.

A valve that permits flow in one direction only and prevents reverse flow; see check valve.

(Detention). If loading completed sooner than expected, then saved days will not be added to discharge time allowed.

A mooring winch with a single undivided drum, on which the full length of line is wound, as distinct from a split-drum winch.

A mooring-winch drum that is not divided into tension and storage parts, carrying the line in a single barrel.

Petroleum products with a high flashpoint that do not readily give off flammable vapour at normal temperatures, handled with fewer fire precautions than volatile products. IMO-grounded

Testing that examines material or welds for defects without damaging them, using methods such as radiography, ultrasonics, and dye penetrant.

The NDT techniques used to verify the soundness of hull welds, including visual, magnetic particle, dye penetrant, ultrasonic, and radiographic methods.

Notice of Readiness

The specified general cargo rate without any quantity discount (aircargo). Normal General Cargo Rate. The under 45 kgs rate or, if no under 45 kgs rate exists, the under 100 kgs rate (aircargo). Synonym: Normal Rate.

The condition in which the ship as a whole, its machinery, services, and means of habitability are functioning normally, a reference state in safety requirements. IMO-grounded

A heat treatment in which steel is heated and air-cooled to refine its grain and improve its mechanical properties and toughness.

The status of a vessel unable to manoeuvre as required by the collision regulations because of some exceptional circumstance, which must show the prescribed lights and shapes. IMO-grounded

A material's ability to resist brittle fracture in the presence of a notch or stress concentration, important for the safe behaviour of structural steel.

Written document or telex issued by the master of a vessel to the charterers advising them the moment when a vessel is ready to load or discharge. Document advising a consignee or his agent that cargo has arrived and is ready for delivery.

A formal notice from the master or owner to the charterer that the ship has arrived and is ready in all respects to load or discharge cargo. Its valid tendering starts the counting of laytime under the charter party.

Address of the party other than the consignee to be advised of the arrival of the goods.

The party to be notified of arrival of goods.

A 1986 ruling by the Court of Justice which ruled that air transport was not exempt from EC competition policy.

The release of nitrogen oxides in engine exhaust, limited for marine engines under MARPOL Annex VI according to engine speed. IMO-grounded

The IMO code, mandatory under MARPOL Annex VI, setting out how marine diesel engines are tested, surveyed, and certified for their nitrogen-oxide emissions. IMO-grounded

The successive tiers of nitrogen oxide emission limits for marine diesel engines under MARPOL Annex VI: Tier I and Tier II apply globally according to engine build date, while the stricter Tier III applies to new engines operating within designated NOx Emission Control Areas. Compliance is certified through the engine's EIAPP Certificate under the NOx Technical Code 2008. IMO-grounded

A liquid chemical carried in bulk that is categorised X, Y, Z, or Other Substances according to the hazard it poses to the marine environment under MARPOL Annex II, which governs the discharge of its residues and tank washings. The GESAMP hazard evaluation underpins the categorisation. IMO-grounded

Net Restricted Tonnage

See Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier

A synthetic polymer used for ropes, bearings, and components, valued for strength, elasticity, and wear resistance; nylon mooring lines absorb shock loads well.

New York Produce Exchange