| Term | Definition |
| agent |
one who acts for another, as in a shipping agent who serves the shipowners in a foreign port by looking after the ship's interests; some of the duties include arranging for pilotage, crew change, etc.; also known as port agent or ship's agent |
| all hands |
all crew members |
| bareboat charter |
a type of charter in which the shipowner provides only the ship and gives the charterer complete control, management and operation of the vessel for an agreed leasing period; the charterer has to appoint the crew and pay all operating costs including stores and bunkers; also known as demise charter |
| barratry |
an insurance term which includes every wrongful act committed intentionally by the master or crew resulting in losses to the owners or charterers, e.g. smuggling, concealing stowaways, etc. without owner's consent |
| combi-tug |
a conventional single screw tug equipped additionally with an azimuthing propulsion unit beneath the bow to improve manoeuvrability |
| complement |
the number of crew members required to man a ship |
| cycloidal propeller |
a propulsion unit consisting of a series of upright blades fitted to a hub that rotates about a vertical axis; the hydrofoil-shaped blades moves in a circular path at constant speed; when their pitch is changed at different positions along the orbit, a propulsive thrust is produced in a corresponding direction; this propulsion unit offers a greater degree of control than a conventional screw propeller as the thrust can be applied in any direction and has better manoeuvrability when going astern; also known as Voith Schneider propeller after their inventors, Ernst Schneider and JM Voith in 1928 |
| idler |
crew member who works only in the day time and does not keep night duty; also refers to those off duty or watch and not engaged in ship's work |
| Inchmaree Clause |
named after a ship, this marine insurance clause was introduced in 1887 to insure against damage caused by crew negligence |
| jump ship |
to absent oneself from a ship; the said crew then becomes an illegal immigrant in the country without proper document |
| lifeboat |
a small boat carried on a ship and designed to sustain lives of crew and passengers if the ship has to be abandoned at sea; required to be provided onboard ocean going ships
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| mess deck |
deck on which the crew's mess room is located |
| mess man |
one of the crew who works under the supervision of the First Cook and performs various tasks such as cleaning and routine hygiene maintenance of various equipment |
| mess room |
a place where crew members take their meals |
| petty officer |
a crew member who ranks between officer and rating, and is in charge of the ratings |
| plank holder |
the first crew to take a new ship to sea |
| screw tug |
tug with one or more screw propellers fitted at the stern and driven by non-steerable propeller shafts |
| steamboat ratchet |
a device using a screw thread to tension the steel wire ropes connecting the pusher tug to barge; this method is widely used in the USA |
| steward |
one of the crew member whose job is to serve the officers, crew, and passengers in a ship, and to clean and maintain the public and living spaces |
| supernumerary |
one who handles extra operation on board in addition to the core crew which is required to maintain satisfactorily various vessel's operations |
| tugger winch |
a small drum winch designed to assist the crew in manipulating the heavy pieces of towing gear such as chain bridles, towing plates and large towing wires used in anchor-handling or ship-handling work; commonly fitted in offshore vessels at the cargo deck area behind the superstructure |
