Port & Harbour

Contents Anchorage5Apron:5AFT5Backhaul5Barge5Berth:5Board of Commissioners5bollard5Box5Breakbulk cargo5Bulk cargo5Bulkhead5Buoys5BALLAST5B/d6Capacity6Captive cargo port6Cargo6Chandlers6Channels of distribution6Chock6Clerks6Consignment6Container6Container freight station7Container chassis7Container crane:7Container terminal7Containerization7Craft7Customs7CABLE SHIP7CLEAN SHIP7Dead Weight Tonnage (DWT):8Deck barge8Demurrage8Dock8Dockage8Draft8Dredge8Dry bulk8Elevator8EEC9Fleeting:9FIREMAN9gantry crane9Harbour9Heavy hauler9Heavy lift9Home port9Hostler (or hustler):9HARBOUR MASTER (Port Captain)10Interchange10ISO10launch service10LCL10Length Overall (LOA):10Lift On-Lift Off (LO/LO):10long ton10LAID-UP -10marine surveyor11master11Marshaling yard11Mean low water11Mean high water11Mooring dolphin11MAIN DECK11NATIONAL FLAG11On-dock rail11On-terminal rail11Operating port:11OFF-LOAD -11Port11PALLET11Railhead12Refrigeration or reefer units12Ro/ro12Rubber-Tired Gantry (RTG):12Sheddage12Short ton12Spreader12Stevedores:12Straddle carrier12Stripping12SHIFTING12Terminal12Toplift12Towboat12Transit port13Transit shed13Transshipment13Transtainer13Trucks13Tugboat:13Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU):13Vessel:13VLCC13Warehouse:13Wharf:13

AAnchorage: Port charge relating to a vessel moored at approved anchorage site in a harbour.Apron: The area immediately in front of or behind a wharf shed on which cargo is lifted. On the "front apron," cargo is unloaded from or loaded onto a ship. Behind the shed, cargo moves over the "rear apron" into and out of railroad cars.

AFT - Near or toward the stern of the vessel.

ANCHOR HANDLING TUG - Tug that moves anchors and tow drilling vessels, lighters and similar. Also ANCHOR HANDLING TUG/SUPPLY used also for suppliesAMIDSHIPS - Generally speaking the word amidships means in the middle portion of a vessel.

ASTERN - Behind, or a backward direction in the line of a vessel's fore and aft line. When a vessel moves backwards it is said to move astern; opposite to ahead.AUTOMATIC PILOT - An instrument that controls automatically a vessel's steering gear to enable her to follow a pre-determined track through the water.BBackhaul: To haul a shipment back over part of a route which it has already travelled; a marine transportation carriers return movement of cargo, usually opposite from the direction of its primary cargo distribution.Barge: A large, flat-bottomed boat used to carry cargo from a port to shallow-draft waterways. Barges have no locomotion and are pushed by towboats. A single, standard barge can hold 1,500 tons of cargo or as much as either 15 railroad cars or 60 trucks can carry. A barge is 200 feet long, 35 feet wide and has a draft of 9 feet. Barges carry dry bulk (grain, coal, lumber, gravel, etc.) and liquid bulk (petroleum, vegetable oils, molasses, etc.).Berth: (verb) To bring a ship to a berth. (noun) The wharf space at which a ship docks. A wharf may have two or three berths, depending on the length of incoming ships.Board of Commissioners: The members of the governing board of a port authority are called commissioners. Members of a Board of Commissioners can be elected or appointed and usually serve for several years.bollard: A line-securing device on a wharf around which mooring and berthing lines are fastened.Box: Slang term for a container.Breakbulk cargo: Non-containerized general cargo stored in boxes, bales, pallets or other units to be loaded onto or discharged from ships or other forms of transportation. Examples include iron, steel, machinery, linerboard and woodpulp.Bulk cargo: Loose cargo (dry or liquid) that is loaded (shoveled, scooped, forked, mechanically conveyed or pumped) in volume directly into a ships hold; e.g., grain, coal and oil.Bulkhead: A structure used to protect against shifting cargo and/or to separate the load.Buoys: Floats that warn of hazards such as rocks or shallow ground, to help ships manoeuvre through unfamiliar harbours.

BALLAST - Heavy substances loaded by a vessel to improve stability, trim, sea-keeping and to increase the immersion at the propeller. In the days of sail rocks and sand were used. Modern ships use seawater loaded in ballast tanks placed at the bottom of the ship, or in some cases on the sides called wing tanks. Tankers admit ballast water into the cargo tanks to submerge the vessel to a proper trim. When ballast tanks are not connected with the cargo system they are referred to as SEGREGATED BALLAST TANKS.

BARGE - Flat-bottomed boat for carrying cargo on protected waterways, usually without engines or crew accommodations. On inland river systems barges can be lashed together and either pushed or pulled by tugs and handle cargo of 60,000 tonnes or more. Small barges for carrying cargo between ship and shore are known as lighters.

B/d -Barrels per day (measure of petroleum production). BEAM - The width of a ship. Also called breadth.

B/L TON (also Freight Ton) - the greater weight or measurement of goods where 1 tonnes is either 1,000 kg or 1 cubic metre.BOILERS - Steam generating units used aboard ship to provide steam for propulsion and for heating and other auxiliary purposes. BONDED WAREHOUSE - An area of security approved by custom authorities for the safekeeping or deposit of goods liable for excise duty but not yet subject to that duty.

BREAKBULK VESSEL - A general, multipurpose, cargo ship that carriers cargoes of non-uniform sizes, often on pallets, resulting in labour-intensive loading and unloading.

BULKHEAD - A name given to any vertical partition which separates different compartments or spaces from one another.BUNKERS - Fuel consumed by the engines of a ship; compartments or tanks in a ship for fuel storage.Capacity: The available space for, or ability to handle, freight.Captive cargo port: When most of a ports inbound cargoes are being shipped short distances and most of its export products come from nearby areas, the port is called a captive cargo port. (Contrast with a transit port.)Cargo: The freight (goods, products) carried by a ship, barge, train, truck or plane.Chandlers: Like a hotel at sea, a ship needs many supplies to operate and serve its crew-- groceries; paper products; engine parts; electronics; hardware; etc. A chandler sells these supplies to the ships agent. Originally, chandlers (candle makers) provided illumination to ships. Over time they expanded the variety of products they could provide to ships.Channels of distribution: The routes by which products are transported from origin to destination. This includes the physical routes, as well as the different companies involved in ultimately delivering the goods to buyers.Chock: A piece of wood or other material put next to cargo to prevent it from shifting.Clerks: When cargo is unloaded from a ship, a clerk checks the actual count of the goods (number of boxes, drums, bundles, pipes, etc.) versus the amount listed on the ships manifest. He will note shortages, overages or damage. This is used to make claims if needed.Consignment: A shipment of goods. The buyer of this shipment is called the consignee; the seller of the goods is called the consignor.Container: A box made of aluminium, steel or fiberglass used to transport cargo by ship, rail, truck or barge. Common dimensions are 20' x 8 x 8' (called a TEU or twenty-foot equivalent unit) or 40' x 8' x 8', called an FEU. Variations are collapsible containers, tank containers (for liquids) and "rag tops" (open-topped containers covered by a tarpaulin for cargo that sticks above the top of a closed box). In the container industry, containers are usually simply called boxes.Container freight station: The facility for stuffing and stripping a container of its cargo, especially for movement by railroad.Container chassis: A piece of equipment specifically designed for the movement of containers by highway to and from container terminals.Container crane: Usually, a rail-mounted gantry crane located on a wharf for the purpose of loading and unloading containers on vessels.Container terminal: A specialized facility where ocean container vessels dock to discharge and load containers, equipped with cranes with a safe lifting capacity of 35-40 tons, with booms having an outreach of up to 120 feet in order to reach the outside cells of vessels. Most such cranes operate on rail tracks and have articulating rail trucks on each of their four legs, enabling them to traverse along the terminal and work various bays on the vessel and for more than one crane to work a single vessel simultaneously. Most terminals have direct rail access and container storage areas, and are served by highway carriers.Containerization: The technique of using a container to store, protect and handle cargo while it is in transit. This shipping method has both greatly expedited the speed at which cargo is moved from origin to destination and lowered shipping costs.Craft: A boat, ship or airplane.Customs: A duty or tax on imported goods. These fees are a major bonus to the economy. The Customs Department also works to prevent the importation of illegal drugs and contraband.CABLE SHIP - a specially constructed ship for the laying and repairing of telegraph and telephone cables across channels, seas, lakes, and oceans.

CARGO HANDLING - The act of loading and discharging a cargo ship.

CHEMICAL TANKER - Ship specially designed for the transport of chemicals. CHIEF ENGINEER - The senior engineer officer responsible for the satisfactory working and upkeep of the main and auxiliary machinery and boiler plant on board ship.CHIEF MATE - The officer in the deck department next in rank to the master; second in command of a ship. CLEAN SHIP - Refers to tankers which have their cargo tanks free of traces of dark persistent oils, which remain after carrying crudes and heavy fuel oils.

COLLIER - Vessel used for transporting coal.COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM - Electronic system commonly used to prevent collisions in inland navigable waterways.CONTAINER SHIP - a ship designed to handle containerised cargo. A fully cellular container ship is one that carries no cranes and is reliant on shorebased cranes for loading and discharging. Container ships' hulls are divided into cells accessible through large hatches into which the containers fit. Specialized types of container ships are the LASH and SeaBee, which carry floating containers (or "lighters,") and RoRo ships, which may carry containers on truck trailers.CREW - The personnel engaged on board ship, excluding the master and officers and the passengers on passenger ships.CUBIC CAPACITY - The most important commercial measurement when the intrinsic weight of the cargo is so low that the ship becomes full without being loaded to the cargo line. Is expressed in cubic metres or cubic feet.Dead Weight Tonnage (DWT): Maximum weight of a vessel including the vessel, cargo and ballast.Deck barge: Transports heavy or oversize cargoes mounted to its top deck instead of inside a hold. Machinery, appliances, project cargoes and even recreational vehicles move on deck barges.Demurrage: A penalty fee assessed when cargo isnt moved off a wharf before the free time allowance ends.Dock: (verb) - To bring in a vessel to tie up at a wharf berth. (One parks a car, but docks a ship.) (noun) - A dock is a structure built along, or at an angle from, a navigable waterway so that vessels may lie alongside to receive or discharge cargo. Sometimes, the whole wharf is informally called a dock.Dockage: A charge by a port authority for the length of water frontage used by a vessel tied up at a wharf.Draft: The depth of a loaded vessel in the water taken from the level of the waterline to the lowest point of the hull of the vessel; depth of water, or distance between the bottom of the ship and waterline.Dredge: (noun) A waterborne machine that removes unwanted silt accumulations from the bottom of a waterway. (verb) The process of removing sediment from harbour or river bottoms for safety purposes and to allow for deeper vessels.Dry bulk: Minerals or grains stored in loose piles moving without mark or count.Examples are potash, industrial sands, wheat, soybeans and peanuts.DAVITS - Two radial cranes on a ship which hold the lifeboats, which are used to lower and lift lifeboats.DEADWEIGHT (DWT) - A common measure of ship carrying capacity, equalling the number of tonnes of cargo, stores and bunkers that the ship can transport. It is the difference between the number of tonnes of water a vessel displaces 'light' and the number of tons it displaces when submerged to the 'deep load line'. A ship's cargo capacity is less than its total deadweight tonnage. The difference in weight between a vessel when it is fully loaded and when it is empty (in general transportation terms, the net) measured by the water it displaces. This is the most common, and useful, measurement for shipping as it measures cargo capacity and is usually used when referring to liquid and dry bulk ships.

DECK HOUSE - Small superstructure on the top deck of a vessel, which contains the helm and other navigational instruments.

DERRICK - A type of crane found on merchant ships, the name is believed to have been the name of a London hangman named Derrick of the 17th century.DISABLED SHIP - When a ship is unable to sail efficiently or in a seaworthy state as a result of engine trouble, lack of officers or crew, damage to the hull or ship's gear..DOUBLE BOTTOM - General term for all watertight spaces contained between the outside bottom plating, the tank top and the margin plate. The double bottoms are sub-divided into a number of separate tanks which may contain boiler feed water, drinking water, fuel oil, ballast, etc. Now becoming common on all tankers.DRY DOCK - An enclosed basin into which a ship is taken for underwater cleaning and repairing. It is fitted with watertight entrance gates which when closed permit the dock to be pumped dry. Sometimes has two or more compartments separated by watertight doors. Dry docks are also referred to as Graving Docks.DWT - Deadweight tonnes.Elevator: A complex including storage facilities, computerized loading; inspection rooms and docks to load and unload dry bulk cargo such as grain or green coffee.EEC - European Economic Community, the European Common Market.EEU - European Economic Union, the political union of Europe.ETA - Estimated time of arrivalETD - Estimated time of departureFender piles: The wooden or plastic pilings on the outer edge of the wharf function like the fenders on a car. They are there to absorb the shock of a ship as it docks at the wharf and to protect the structural pilings that actually support the wharf. Fender piles are also called sacrifice piles since they are designed to be discarded after they are broken.Fleeting: The area at which barges, towboats and tugs are berthed until needed. The operation of building or dismantling barge tows.

FIREMAN - an unlicensed member of the engine, room staff whose duties consist in standing watch in the boiler room and insuring the oil burning equipment is working properly.

FREEBOARD - The distance between the statutory deck line and the waterline.

FREIGHT TONNE - The greater weight or measurement of goods where 1 tonne is equal to 1,000kg or 1 cubic metre.gantry crane: Track-mounted, shoreside crane utilized in the loading and unloading of breakbulk cargo, containers and heavy lift cargo.GANG - term used to describe a selected work force or team that works as a team in a harbour environment, usually in stevedoring.GANGWAY - a narrow portable platform used as a passage, by persons entering or leaving a vessel moored alongside a pier or quay.GAS TANKER - Specially designed for the transport of condensed (liquefied) gases. The most important gases are: ammonia, ethylene, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), which consists mainly of methane, and is cooled to a temperature of minus 163 degrees Celsius, and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) such as butane and propane. GROSS & NET TONNAGE (GT and NT) - Gross tonnage is the basis on which manning rules and safety regulations are applied, and registration fees are reckoned. Port fees are also often reckoned on the basis of GT and NT. GT and NT are defined according to formulas which take account, among other things, of the volume of the vessel's enclosed spaces (GT) and the volume of its holds (NT). GROSS REGISTERED TONS - A common measurement of the internal volume of a ship with certain spaces excluded.Harbour: A port of haven where ships may anchor.Heavy hauler: A truck equipped to transport unusually heavy cargoes (steel slabs, bulldozers, transformers, boats, heavy machinery, etc.)Heavy lift: Very heavy cargoes that require specialized equipment to move the products to and from ship/truck/rail/barge and terminals. This "heavy lift" machinery may be installed aboard a ship designed just for such transport. Shore cranes, floating cranes and lift trucks may also adapted for such heavy lifts.Home port: Port from which a cruise ship loads passengers and begins its itinerary, and to which it returns to disembark passengers upon conclusion of voyage. Sometimes referred to as "embarkation port" and "turn around port."Hostler (or hustler): A tractor, usually unlicensed, for moving containers within a yard.

HARBOUR MASTER (Port Captain) - A person usually having the experience of a certificated master mariner and having a good knowledge of the characteristics of the port and its whole area. He administers the entire shipping movements that take place in and within reach of his port.HAWSER - Large strong rope or cable used for towing purposes and for securing or mooring ships. HOISTING ROPE - Special flexible wire or nylon rope for lifting purposes. HULL - Shell or body of a ship - applies to the side and bottom of ship.Interchange: Point of entry/exit for trucks delivering and picking up containerized cargo. Point where pickups and deposits of containers in storage area or yard are assigned.ISO: International Organization for Standardization. Worldwide organization formed to promote development of standards to facilitate the international carriage and exchange of goods and services. Governs construction specifications for ISO containers.INERT GAS SYSTEM - A system of preventing any explosion in the cargo tanks of a tanker by replacing the cargo, as it is pumped out, by an inert gas, often the exhaust of the ship's engine. Gas-freeing must be carried out subsequently if workers have to enter the empty tanks.INLAND WATERS - Term referring to lakes, streams, rivers, canals, waterways, inlets, bays and the like.

INTEGRATED TUG BARGE (ITB) - A large barge of integrated from the rear on to the bow of a tug purposely constructed to push the barge.INTERNATIONAL WATERWAYS - Consist of international straits, inland and interoceanic canals and rivers where they separate the territories of two or more nations. Provided no treaty is enforced both merchant ships and warships have the right of free and unrestricted navigation through these waterways.JACKUP - A deck with legs that can be jacked up or down. During operations, the legs rest on the seabed. When the rig is moved, the legs are retracted, leaving the rig floating. A jackup has Normally no propulsion machinery of its own. KEEL - The lowest longitudinal timber of a vessel, on which framework of the whole is built up; combination of iron plates serving same purpose in iron vessel.

launch service: Companies that offer "water-taxi" service to ships at anchor.LCL: The acronym for "less than container load." It refers to a partial container load that is usually consolidated with other goods to fill a container.Length Overall (LOA): Linear measurement of a vessel from bow to stern.Lift On-Lift Off (LO/LO): Cargo handling technique involving transfer of commodities to and from the ship using shoreside cranes or ship's gear.long ton: A long ton equals 2240 pounds.LAID-UP - Ships not in active service; a ship which is out of commission for fitting out, awaiting better markets, needing work for classification, etc.

LAY-BY - ships that are laid up usually waiting for cargo or a charter, often outside a port.LIFEBOAT - A specially constructed (often double-ended) boat, which can withstand heavy, rough seas.

LIGHTER - General name for a broad, flat-bottomed boat used in transporting cargo between a vessel and the shore. The distinction between a lighter and a barge is more in the manner of use than in equipment. The term 'lighter' refers to a short haul, generally in connection with loading and unloading operations of vessels in harbour, while the term 'barge' is more often used when the cargo is being carried to its destination over a long distance.

LNG - Liquefied Natural Gas.LOAD LINE - The line on a vessel indicating the maximum depth to which that vessel can sink when loaded with cargo. Also known as Marks.LPG - Liquefied Petroleum Gas, or a carrier of LPG. manifest: The ship captains list of individual goods that make up the ships cargo.marine surveyor: Person who inspects a ship hull or its cargo for damage or quality.master: The officer in charge of the ship. "Captain" is a courtesy title often given to a master.Marshaling yard: This is a container parking lot, or any open area where containers are stored in a precise order according to the ship loading plan. Containers terminals may use a grounded or wheeled layout. If the cargo box is placed directly on the ground, it is called a grounded operation. If the box is on a chassis/trailer, it is a wheeled operation.Mean low water (MLW): Lowest average level water reaches on an outgoing tide.Mean high water (MHW): Highest average level water reaches on an outgoing tide.Mooring dolphin: A cluster of pilings to which a boat or barge ties up.MAIN DECK - The main continuous deck of a ship running from fore to aft; the principle deck; the deck from which the freeboard is determined.MASTHEAD LIGHT - A white light positioned over the fore and aft centreline of the vessel.MOORING LINE - A cable or line used to tie up a ship.M/T - Metric tonnes (2,250 lbs)NATIONAL FLAG - The flag carried by a ship to show her nationality.

NET CAPACITY - The number of tons of cargo which a vessel can carry when loaded in salt water to her summer freeboard marks. Also called cargo carrying capacity, cargo deadweight, and useful deadweight.NET TONNAGE - Equals gross tonnage minus deductions for space occupied by crew accommodations, machinery, navigation equipment and bunkers. It represents space available for cargo (and passengers). Canal tolls are based on net (registered) tonnage.NRT - Net registered tons. This tonnage is frequently shown on ship registration papers; it represents the volumetric area available for cargo at 100 cubic feet = 1 ton. It often is used by port and canal authorities as a basis for charges.

On-dock rail: Direct shipside rail service. Includes the ability to load and unload containers/breakbulk directly from rail car to vessel.On-terminal rail: Rail service and trackage provided by a railroad within a designated terminal area.Operating port: At an operational port like Charleston, South Carolina, the port authority builds the wharves, owns the cranes and cargo-handling equipment and hires the labour to move cargo in the sheds and yards. A stevedore hires longshore labour to lift cargo between the ship and the dock, where the ports labourers pick it up and bring it to the storage site. OFF-LOAD - Discharge of cargo from a ship.Pier: A structure which just out into a waterway from the shore, for mooring vessels and cargo handling. Sometimes called a finger pier.Port: This term is used both for the harbour area where ships are docked and for the agency (port authority), which administers use of public wharves and port properties.PALLET - A flat tray, generally made of wood but occasionally of steel, on which goods particularly those in boxes, cartons or bags, can be stacked. Its purpose is to facilitate the movement of such goods, mainly by the use of forklift trucks.PILOT HOUSE - The enclosed space on the navigating bridge from which a ship is controlled when under way.PORT SIDE - the left hand side of a ship facing the front or forward end. The port side of a ship during darkness is indicated by a red light. Was previously known as the larboard side but this created confusion with starboard and was changed.Quay: A wharf, which parallels the waterline.Railhead: End of the railroad line or point in the area of operations at which cargo is loaded and unloaded.Reefer: A container with refrigeration for transporting frozen foods (meat, ice cream, fruit, etc.)Refrigeration or reefer units: The protective cooling of perishable freight by ice, liquid nitrogen, or mechanical devicesRo/ro: Short for roll on/roll/off . A ro/ro ship is designed with ramps that can be lowered to the dock so cars, buses, trucks or other vehicles can drive into the belly of the ship, rather than be lifted aboard. A ro/ro ship, like a container ship, has a quick turnaround time of about 12 hours.Rubber-Tired Gantry (RTG): Traveling crane used for the movement and positioning of containers in a container field. RTG's may also be used for loading and unloading containers from rail cars.

Sheddage: Regardless of the length of stay, a vessel is charged a one-time fee for use of shed space and/or marginal (waterside) rail track space. The charge is based on the length of a vessel.Short ton: A short ton equals 2,000. Lifting capacity and cargo measurements are designated in short tons.Spreader: a device for lifting containers by their corner posts. The spreader bar on a container crane is telescopic to allow lifting various length containers.Stevedores: Labour management companies that provide equipment and hire workers to transfer cargo between ships and docks. Stevedore companies may also serve as terminal operators. The labourers hired by the stevedoring firms are called stevedores or longshoremen.Straddle carrier: Container terminal equipment, which is motorized and runs on rubber tires. It can straddle a single row of containers and is primarily used to move containers around the terminal, but also to transport containers to and from the transtainer and load/unload containers from truck chassis.Stripping: The process of removing cargo from a container.SHIFTING - This refers to movements or changing positions of cargo from one place to another - a dangerous situation at sea that can easily endanger the seaworthiness or cargo worthiness of the ship.

SISTER SHIPS - Ships built on the same design.STARBOARD - The right-hand side of a ship when facing the front or forward end. The starboard side of a ship during darkness is indicated by a green light.STERN - The bow or rear of the ship; an upright post or bar of the bow of a vessel. STERNWAY - The reverse movement of a vessel.STEVEDORE - labourer employed in ship cargo handling, also known as LongshoremanSTUFFING (or STRIPPING) - the act of packing or unpacking a container.Terminal: The place where cargo is handled is called a terminal (or a wharf).Toplift: A piece of equipment similar to a forklift that lifts from above rather than below. Used to handle containers in the storage yard to and from storage stacks, trucks and railcars.Towboat: A snub-nosed boat with push knees used for pushing barges. A small towboat (called a push boat) may push one or two barges around the harbor. A large towboat is used to push from 5 to 40 barges in a tow is called a line boat. From the Port of New Orleans, line boats deliver cargo to Mid-America via the 14,500-mile waterway system flowing through the Crescent City.Transit port: When the majority of cargoes moving through a port arent coming from or destined for the local market, the port is called a transit (or through) port.Transit shed: The shed on a wharf is designed to protect cargoes from weather damage and is used only for short-term storage. Warehouses operated by private firms house goods for longer periods.Transshipment: The unloading of cargo at a port or point where it is then reloaded, sometimes into another mode of transportation, for transfer to a final destination.Transtainer: A type of crane used in the handling of containers, which is motorized, mounted on rubber tires and can straddle at least four railway tracks, some up to six, with a lifting capacity of 35 tons for loading and unloading containers to and from railway cards.Trucks: Heavy automotive vehicles used to transport cargo. In the maritime industry, cargo is often carried by tractor-trailers. The tractor is the front part of the vehicle, also called a cab. The trailer is the detachable wheeled chassis behind the tractor, on which containers or other cargoes are placed. Tugboat: Strong v-hull shaped boat used for manoeuvring ships into and out of port and to carry supplies. A ship is too powerful to pull up to the wharf on its own. It cuts power and lets the tug nudge it in. Generally barges are pushed by towboats, not tugs.Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU): A unit of measurement equal to the space occupied by a standard twenty foot container. Used in stating the capacity of container vessel or storage area. One 40 ft. Container is equal to two TEU's.Vessel: A ship or large boat.VLCC - Very Large Crude Carriers: Tankers between 200,000 and 300,000DWT.VLCS- Very Large Container Ship - a container vessel able to carry 8000 and more TEU. Warehouse: A place in which goods or merchandise is stored.Wharf: The place at which ships tie up to unload and load cargo. The wharf typically has front and rear loading docks (aprons), a transit shed, open (unshedded) storage areas, truck bays, and rail tracks.

13CLIP Training Academy Port & Harbour