An order issued by a seller against a purchaser; directs payment, usually through an intermediary bank. Typical bank drafts are negotiable instruments and are similar in many ways to checks on checking accounts in a bank.

Notations made when the cargo is received at the carrier's terminal or loaded aboard a vessel. They show any irregularities in packaging or actual or suspected damage to the cargo. Exceptions are then noted on the bill of lading.

(1) The action of a line as it passes over the sheave of a block. (2) The act of easing away gently.

The practice of obtaining a crew by means of force. Crews were hard to get for long voyages, and when the unwilling shipmate regained consciousness, he found himself bound for some remote port, such as Shanghai. One who is forced to do something against h ...

The maximum speed a hull can achieve without planing - the fastest a keelboat will go, usually dependent on length of the hull at the waterline

A line connecting points of equal magnetic variation on a map.

(1) A large casting shaped to allow the propeller blades to revolve. The rudder is fitted on the after post. (2) The principal vertical timber in a ship's stern, upon which the rudder is fastened.

The U.S. federal body charged with enforcing acts of the U.S. Congress that affect common carriers in interstate commerce. STB replaced the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) in 1997.

A squadron of small ships.

A type of knot that tightens under load. It is formed by running the standing line through the loop formed in a regular bowline, or by tying around a bight in the line.

Chest, or compartment, in which is stowed clothing for issue to crew.

Putting cargo into a container.

The principal vertical timber in a ship's bow.

Similar to a Barber hauler, a twing adjusts the angle of sheeting.

A document issued by the carrier based on the bill of lading and other information; used to account for a shipment operationally, statistically, and financially. An Invoice.

The best of its type of fishing boat. Word originates from a time when the crew used to fish from the deck of a vessel. The best fisherman got the highest place on deck, up in the bow, so his line was the highest above the sea.

A large heavy knot usually made in the end of a heaving line to aid in accurate throwing.

To put in place of another; i.e., when an insurance company pays a claim it is placed in the same position as the payee with regard to any rights against others.

Time after which legal claims will not be entertained

An extra charge sometimes added to steamship freight rates; justified by higher fuel costs. (Also known as Fuel Adjustment Factor or FAF.)