Maritime Law Glossary

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Salvage: the property which has been recovered from a wrecked vessel, or the recovery of the vessel herself.

Seabee: sea-barge, a barge carrier design similar to “lash” but which uses rollers to move the barges aboard the ship; the self-propelled loaded 
barges are themselves loaded on board as cargo and are considerably larger than those loaded on lash ships. 

Sea trials: a series of trials conducted by the builders during which the owner’s representatives on board act in a consulting and checking capacity to determine if the vessel has met the specifications. 

Seaworthiness: the sufficiency of a vessel in materials construction, equipment, crew and outfit for the trade in which it is employed. Any sort of disrepair to the vessel by which the cargo may suffer - overloading, untrained officers, etc., may constitute a vessel unseaworthy.

Seaworthiness certificate: a certificate issued by a classification society surveyor to allow a vessel to proceed after she has met with a mishap that may have affected its seaworthiness. It is frequently issued to enable a vessel to proceed, after temporary repairs have been completed, to another port where permanent repairs are then carried out. 

Second assistant engineer: in charge of twelve to four watch. On steam vessels has responsibility for the boilers, on diesels, the evaporators and the auxiliary equipment.

Second mate: in charge of twelve to four watch and is the ship’s navigation officer. Keeps charts (maps) up to date and monitors navigation equipment on bridge.

Self-propelled barge: a barge which has its own engine.

Self-sustaining ship: a containership which has her own crane for loading and discharging shipping containers enabling the ship to serve ports which do not have suitable lifting equipment. 

Self-trimming ship: a ship whose holds are shaped in such a way that the cargo can level itself.

Self-unloader: a bulk carrier which is equipped with gear for unloading cargo.

Service contract: as provided in the shipping act of 1984, a contract between a shipper (or a shipper’s association) and an ocean common carrier (or conference) in which the shipper makes a commitment to provide a certain minimum quantity of cargo or freight revenue over a fixed time period, and the ocean common carrier or conference commits to a certain rate or rate schedule as well as a defined service level (such as assured space, transit time, port rotation or similar service features). The contract may also specify provisions in the event of nonperformance on the part of either party.

Service of process: the act of notifying the other parties that an action has begun and informing them of the steps they should take in order to respond. 

Settlement: the resolution or compromise by the parties in a civil lawsuit.

Settlement agreement: in a civil lawsuit, the document that spells out the terms of an out-of-court compromise. 

Shifting: this refers to movements or changing positions of cargo from one place to another. This can easily endanger the seaworthiness or cargo-worthiness of the ship.

Ship chandler: an individual or company selling equipment and supplies for ships. 

Ship demurrage: a charge for delaying a steamer beyond a stipulated period. 

Ship’s manifest: a statement listing the particulars of all shipments loaded for a specified voyage.

Ship’s tackle: all rigging, cranes, etc., utilized on a ship to load or unload cargo. 

Shippers: individuals or businesses who purchase transportation services for their goods or commodities.

Shipper’s association: a non-profit entity that represents the interests of a number of shippers. The main focus of shippers associations is to pool the cargo volumes of members to leverage the most favorable service contract rate levels. 

Shipper’s council: an organization of shippers formed to collectively negotiate rates and services with the conferences of ship operators.

Shipping act of 1916: the act of the u.s. congress (1916) that created the u.s. shipping board to develop water transportation, operate the merchant ships owned by the government, and regulate the water carriers engaged in commerce under the flag of the united states. As of june 18, 1984, this act applies only to domestic offshore ocean transport. 

Shipping act of 1984: effective june 18, 1984, describes the law covering water transportation in the u.s. foreign trade. 

Shipping act of 1998: amends the act of 1984 to provide for confidential service contracts and other items.

Ship’s agent: a person or firm who transacts all business in a port on behalf of shipowners or charterers. May also be called a shipping agent. 

Ship’s articles: a written agreement between the master of a ship and the crew concerning their employment. It includes rates of pay and capacity of each crewman, the date of commencement of the voyage and its duration.

Ships chairman (shop steward): in charge of union business for unlicensed personnel and handles grievances.

Ship’s stability: the seaworthiness of a ship regarding the centrifugal force which enables her to remain upright.

Short ton: 2,000 pounds.

SIP: streamlined inspection program. 

Sister ships: ships built on the same design.

SIU: seafarers international union. 

Slip: a vessel’s berth between two piers.

Slop tank: a tank in a tanker into which slops are pumped. These represent a residue of the ship’s cargo of oil together with the water used to clean 
the cargo tanks. They are left to separate out in the slop tank.

Soft currency: currency which is not fully convertible to all currencies but only to some other soft currencies.

Solas: safety of life a sea convention 

Spot (voyage): a charter for a particular vessel to move a single cargo between specified loading port(s) and discharge port(s) in the immediate future. Contract rate (“spot” rate) covers total operating expenses, i.e., bunkers, port charges, canal tolls, crew’s wages and food, insurance and 
repairs. Cargo owner absorbs, in addition, any expenses specifically levied against the cargo.

Stack car: an articulated five-platform rail car that allows containers to be double stacked. A typical stack car holds ten 40-foot equivalent units (feu’s).

Standard of care: the degree of care a reasonable person would take to prevent an injury to another. 

Standing: the legal right to initiate a lawsuit. To do so, a person must be sufficiently affected by the matter at hand, and there must be a case or controversy that can be resolved by legal action. 

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.

Stare decisis: latin for “to stand by that which is decided.” stare decisis refers to the principle of adhering to a precedent when deciding a case. 

Station bill: a list which shows the vessel’s complement and details their various duties in connection with fire and boat drills. 

Statutes of limitations: laws setting deadlines for filing lawsuits within a certain time after events occur that are the source of a claim. 

STB: surface transportation board, an independent adjudicatory body administratively housed in the department of transportation responsible for the economic regulation of interstate surface transportation, primarily railroads. 

STCW: international convention on standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers, 1978. 

Stern: the upright post or bar of the bow of a vessel. 

Sternway: the reverse movement of a vessel.

Stevedore: individual or firm that employs longshoremen and who contracts to load or unload the ship.

Store: a general term for provisions, materials and supplies used aboard ship for the maintenance of the crew, and for the navigation, propulsion and 
upkeep of the vessel and its equipment. 

Stowage: the placing of goods in a ship in such a way as to ensure the safety and stability of the ship not only on a sea or ocean passage but also in between ports when parts of the cargo have been loaded or discharged.

Stranding: the running of a ship on shore or on a beach.

Strict liability: liability even when there is no proof of negligence. Often applicable in product liability cases against manufacturers, who are legally responsible for injuries caused by defects in their products, even if they were not negligent. 

Stripping: removing cargo from a container.

Stuffing: putting cargo into a container. 

Subpoena: an order compelling a person to appear to testify or produce documents. 

Summation: the closing argument in a trial.

Summons: a legal document that notifies a party that a lawsuit has been initiated and states when and where the party must appear to answer the charges.

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