Maritime Acronyms and Abbreviations

The maritime language is full of acronyms and abbreviations, some no longer recognised and some which are so familiar as to have become words in their own right, with what they stand either forgotten or not known.

  If you have a favourite ­ well known or unfamiliar - add it to the lists by emailing it to

A

ABS                 American Bureau of Shipping - also AB

AEW                 Admiralty Experiment Works

AHTS                Anchor handling towage and supply

AIS                   Automated identification system

AMSA               Australian Maritime Safety Authority

AtoN                 Aid to Navigation

B                      Breadth or Beam

BoT                  UK Board of Trade

BV                    Bureau Veritas

BWTS               Ballast water treatment system

C

 Cb                     Block coefficient

Cp                     Prismatic coefficient

CFD                 Computational fluid dynamics

CPD                 Continuing professional development

CS                    Container ship

D

 D                      Depth of ship

DEMS              Defensive Equipment Merchant Shipping

DNC                 Director of Naval Construction

DnV                  Det norske Veritas         - also DNV and NV

dwt                   Deadweight 

E

ECDIS              Electronic chart display and information system

EEZ                  Exclusive Economic Zone                    

eLORAN          enhanced Long Range Navigation 

EEDI                 Energy Efficiency Design Index

F

 F                      Freeboard of ship

FPSO               Floating, production, storage and offloading

FPV                  Fishery Protection Vessel 

G

GA                   General arrangement

GL                    Germanischer Lloyd

GLA                  General Lighthouse Authorities (UK)

GM                   Metacentric height

GM                   Guided missile

GPS                 Global Positioning System

gt                     Gross tonnage 

H

HFO                 Heavy fuel oil

HMS                 Her Majesty’s Ship (UK)

HSC                 High speed craft 

I

IACS                 International Association of Classification Societies

IALA                 International Association of Lighthouse Authorities

IESIS                Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland - also IESS

IL                      Commissioners of Irish Lights - also CIL

IMO                  International Maritime Organization

ITTC                  International Towing Tank Conference 

J

 

K

 

L

LBP                  Length between perpendiculars - also     Lpp

LCG                  Longitudinal centre of gravity

LED                  Light-emitting diode                  

LLL                   Low level lighting

LNG                  Liquid natural gas

LOA                  Length overall

LPG                  Liquid petroleum gas

LR                    Lloyd’s Register            also      LRS

LSA                  Life Saving Appliances

LWL                  Length on waterline 

M

MARPOL          International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships

MCA                 Maritime Coastguard Agency (UK)

MCMV              Mine Counter Measures Vessel

MCR                 Maximum continuous rating

MOPS              Minimum Operational Performance Standards

MV                   Motor Vessel

MS                   Motor Ship 

N

NLB                  Northern Lighthouse Board

NK                    Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Japan)       -also ClassNK

NMRI                National Maritime Research Institute (Japan)

NT                    Net tonnage 

O

OBO                 Ore / Bulk / Oil

OO                   Ore / Oil

OPV                 Offshore Patrol Vessel 

P

PCTC                Pure car and truck carrier 

Q

QSMV              Quadruple screw motor vessel

QSS                 Quadruple screw steamship 

R

RAS                  Replenishment at sea

RCNC               Royal Corps of Naval Constructors

RFA                  Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RINA                 Royal Institution of Naval Architects  - formerly INA

RMAS               Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service

RMS                 Royal Mail Ship

RN                    Royal Navy (UK)

RNC                 Royal Naval College

RNLI                 Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Ro-Pax             Passenger ro-ro ferry

RORO               Roll on and roll off - also ro-ro

ROV                  Remote operated vehicles

RQD                 Raised quarter decker 

S

S                      Wetted surface

SAR                 Search and Rescue

SNAME            Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (USA)

SOLAS            Safety of Life at Sea

SS                    Steamship (single screw) 

T

T                        Draft of ship

TEU                  Twenty equivalent unit (containers)

TSS                  Twin screw steamship

TrSS                 Triple screw steamship

U

ULCC                Ultra large crude carrier

ULCS                Ultra large container ship

USCG               United States Coast Guard

USS                  United States Ship 

 

 

V

VCG                 Vertical Centre of Gravity

VLCC                Very large crude carrier

W

 

X

 

Y

 

Z

 
 

Knud

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Sailor
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KVH

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