1. Overview
Source: INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION. IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP). London: IMO, 2001. Resolution A.918(22), adopted 29 Nov. 2001 — GLOSSARY (1 General terms; 2 VTS special terms).
Syllabus: Anexo 2-B (Introduction, General, Glossary) · Anexo 2-A, item VI.1.3 Glossário (1.3.1 Termos gerais; 1.3.2 Termos especiais do VTS).
The GLOSSARY gives the working vocabulary behind the standard Phrases. Most of its entries are words the Phrases themselves use; a limited number are technical terms that do not appear in the text of the SMCP at all, kept because they are useful when a standard Phrase has to be modified. It is split into two parts: General terms — the everyday working vocabulary of manoeuvring, mooring, cargo, weather and emergency response — and VTS special terms — the vocabulary specific to Vessel Traffic Services, routing measures and reporting.
"The GLOSSARY also includes a limited number of technical terms which do not appear in the text of the SMCP but might be useful in case the content of a given standard Phrase requires modification."
Below, each of the two parts is reproduced in full — every term the source lists, with its definition unchanged — arranged into thematic groups purely to make the list easier to scan. No group is a filter: every entry from General terms and every entry from VTS special terms is present somewhere in the sections that follow.
✎ Nota (leitura do autor, não do texto da norma): o qualificador "here:" nessas dez entradas indica que a definição vale no recorte do SMCP, e não como acepção geral de dicionário. A fonte usa o marcador sem explicá-lo.
✎ Nota: os termos do VTS desta seção (3. VTS Special Terms) dialogam com a NORMAM-602 (Serviço de Tráfego de Embarcações), matéria cobrada em outra área do edital — útil como referência cruzada de revisão.
2. General Terms
The first part of the GLOSSARY (1 General terms) is the larger of the two: 148 entries covering the vocabulary of manoeuvring, mooring, cargo handling, weather, radio and emergency response. They are grouped below by subject for readability; the alphabetical order of the source is not preserved, but no entry is dropped.
2.1 Emergency, Distress & Search and Rescue (SAR)
This group covers the vocabulary of a distress or SAR situation: the alarms and stations aboard, the shore authority coordinating the response — the MRCC and, on scene, the OSC — the abbreviations the source expands here (GMDSS, EPIRB, SAR), the distress alert that goes automatically to an MRCC, and the terms proper to the conduct of the search itself.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Abandon vessel | To evacuate crew and passengers from a vessel following a distress |
| Assembly station | Place on deck, in mess rooms, etc., assigned to crew and passengers where they have to meet according to the muster list when the corresponding alarm is released or announcement made |
| Beach (to) | To run a vessel up on a beach to prevent its sinking in deep water |
| Capsizing | Turning of a vessel upside down while on water |
| Casualty | here: Case of death in an accident or shipping disaster |
| Crash-stop | An emergency reversal operation of the main engine(s) to avoid a collision |
| Damage control team | A group of crew members trained for fighting flooding in the vessel |
| Datum | 1. The most probable position of a search target at a given time 2. The plane of reference to which all data as to the depth on charts are referenced. |
| Distress alert (GMDSS) | A radio signal from a distressed vessel automatically directed to an MRCC giving position, identification, course and speed of the vessel as well as the nature of distress |
| Distress/ Urgency traffic | here: The verbal exchange of information on radio from ship to shore and/or ship to ship/ air craft about a distress / urgency situation as defined in the relevant ITU Radio Regulations |
| EPIRB | Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon |
| Escape route | A clearly marked way in the vessel which has to be followed in case of an emergency |
| Fire patrol | A crew member of the watch going around the vessel at certain intervals so that an outbreak of fire may be promptly detected; mandatory in vessels carrying more than 36 passengers |
| Flooding | Major flow of seawater into the vessel |
| Fire monitor | Fixed foam/powder/water cannon shooting fire extinguishing agents on tank deck, manifold etc. |
| General emergency alarm | A sound signal of seven short blasts and one prolonged blast given with the vessel's sound system |
| GMDSS | Global Maritime Distress and Safety System |
| Hatchrails | Ropes supported by stanchions around an open hatch to prevent persons from falling into a hold |
| Hoist | here: A cable used by helicopters for lifting or lowering persons in a pick-up operation |
| Initial course | Course directed by the OSC or other authorized person to be steered at the beginning of a search |
| Launch (to) | To lower, e.g. lifeboats to the water |
| Lifeboat station | Place assigned to crew and passengers where they must gather before being ordered into the lifeboats |
| MRCC | Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre: Land-based authority responsible for promoting efficient organization of maritime search and rescue and for co-ordinating the conduct of search and rescue operations within a search and rescue region |
| Muster (to) | To assemble crew, passengers or both in a special place for purposes of checking |
| Muster list | List of crew, passengers and all on board and their functions in a distress or drill |
| OSC | On-Scene Co-ordinator: A person designed to co-ordinate search and rescue operations within a specified area |
| Recover (to) | Here: To pick up shipwrecked persons |
| Refloat (to) | To pull a vessel off after grounding; to set afloat again |
| Rendez-vous | An appointment between vessels normally made on radio to meet in a certain area or position |
| Restricted area | A deck, space, area, etc., in vessels, where for safety reasons, entry is only permitted for authorized crew members |
| Resume (to) | here: To re-start a voyage, service or search |
| Retreat signal | Sound, visual or other signal to a team ordering it to return to its base |
| Roll call | The act of checking who of the passengers and crew members are present, e.g. at assembly stations, by reading aloud a list of their names |
| SAR | Search and Rescue |
| Scene | The area or location where the event, e.g. an accident has happened |
| Search pattern | A pattern according to which vessels and/or aircraft may conduct a co-ordinated search (the IMOSAR offers seven search patterns) |
| Search speed | The speed of searching vessels directed by the OSC |
| Survivor | A person who continues to live in spite of being in an extremely dangerous situation, e.g. a shipping disaster. |
| Take off (to) | A helicopter lifts off from a vessel's deck |
2.2 Anchoring, Mooring, Towing & Boarding
Here are the terms of ground tackle, mooring and towing, and of getting a pilot or crew member on and off a vessel safely.
The SMCP closes the glossary with three sketches, and this group is the one they serve best. Read off the drawing: the labels below come from the sketches themselves, not from the definitions above. 
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Accommodation ladder | Ladder attached to platform at vessel's side with flat steps and handrails enabling persons to embark / disembark from water or shore |
| Berth | 1: A sea room to be kept for safety around a vessel, rock, platform, etc.. 2: The place assigned to a vessel when anchored or lying alongside a pier, etc. |
| Boarding arrangements | All equipment, such as pilot ladder, accommodation ladder, hoist, etc., necessary for a safe transfer of the pilot |
| Boarding speed | The speed of a vessel adjusted to that of a pilot boat at which the pilot can safely embark / disembark |
| Cable | 1: Chain, wire or rope connecting a vessel to her anchor(s) 2: (measurement), 185.2 metres, i.e. one tenth of a nautical mile |
| Close-coupled towing | A method of towing vessels through polar ice by means of icebreaking tugs with a special stern notch suited to receive and hold the bow of the vessel to be towed |
| Dragging (of anchor) | Moving of an anchor over the sea bottom involuntarily because it is no longer preventing the movement of the vessel |
| Dredging (of anchor) | Moving of an anchor over the sea bottom to control the movement of the vessel |
| Disembark (to) | To go from a vessel |
| Embark (to) | To go aboard a vessel |
| Foul (of anchor) | Anchor has its own cable twisted around it or has fouled an obstruction |
| Let go (to) | To set free, let loose, or cast off (of anchors, lines, etc.) |
| Moor (to) | To secure a vessel in a particular place by means of wires or ropes made fast to the shore, to anchors, or to anchored mooring buoys, or to ride with both anchors down |
| Shackle | Standard length (15 fathoms) of an anchor cable |
| Spreader | here: Step of a pilot ladder which prevents the ladder from twisting |
| Tension winch | A winch which applies tension to mooring lines to keep them tight |
| Veer out (to)(of anchors) | To let out a greater length of cable |
| Walk out (to) (of anchors) | To reverse the action of a windlass so as to ease the cable |
2.3 Ship Motion, Status & Voyage
The core vocabulary of course, speed, position and the vessel's own condition while under way.
Read off the drawing: 
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Adrift | Floating, not controlled, without a clearly determinable direction |
| Air draft | The height from the waterline to the highest point of the vessel |
| Check (to) | 1: To make sure that equipment etc. is in proper condition or that everything is correct and safe 2: To regulate motion of a cable, rope or wire when it is running out too fast |
| Close up (to) | To decrease the distance to the vessel ahead by increasing one's own speed |
| Convoy | A group of vessels which sail together, e.g. through a canal or ice |
| Course | The intended direction of movement of a vessel through the water |
| Course made good | That course which a vessel makes good over ground, after allowing for the effect of currents, tidal streams, and leeway caused by wind and sea |
| Destination | Port which a vessel is bound for |
| Disabled | A vessel damaged or impaired in such a manner as to be incapable of proceeding on its voyage |
| Draft | The depth of water which a vessel draws |
| Drifting | Floating, caused by winds and current with a determinable direction |
| Drop back (to) | To increase the distance to the vessel ahead by reducing one's own speed |
| Escort | Attending a vessel, to be available in case of need, e.g. ice-breaker, tug, etc.. |
| ETA | Estimated Time of Arrival |
| ETD | Estimated Time of Departure |
| Foul (of propeller) | A line, wire, net, etc., is wound round the propeller |
| Full speed | Highest possible speed of a vessel |
| Hampered vessel | A vessel restricted by her ability to manoeuvre by the nature of her work or her deep draft |
| Heading | The horizontal direction the vessel's bows at a given moment measured in degrees clockwise from north |
| Leaking | Escape of liquids such as water, oil, etc., out of pipes, boilers, tanks, etc., or a minor inflow of seawater into the vessel due to damage to the hull |
| List | here: Inclination of the vessel to port side or starboard side |
| Make water (to) | Seawater flowing into the vessel due to hull damage, or hatches awash and not properly closed |
| Not under command | (abbr. NUC) A vessel which through exceptional circumstances is unable to manoeuvre as required by the COLREGs |
| Proceed (to) | To sail or head for a certain position or to continue with the voyage |
| Safe speed | That speed of a vessel allowing the maximum possible time for effective action to be taken to avoid a collision and to be stopped within an appropriate distance |
| Stand clear (to) | here: To keep a boat away from the vessel |
| Stand on (to) | To maintain course and speed |
| Track | The path followed, or to be followed, between one position and another |
| Transit | here: The passage of a vessel through a canal, fairway, etc. |
| Transit speed | Speed of a vessel required for the passage through a canal, fairway, etc. |
| Underway | A vessel which is not at anchor, or made fast to the shore, or aground |
| Way point | A position a vessel has to pass or at which she has to alter course according to her voyage plan |
2.4 Communications, Signals & Equipment
Radio and sound-signal vocabulary and the abbreviations built into a bridge team's daily traffic, from the DSC and the vessel's MMSI number to the radar's CPA/TCPA alarm.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Blast | A sound signal made with the whistle of the vessel |
| Blind sectors | Areas which cannot be scanned by the radar of the vessel because they are shielded by parts of its superstructure, masts, etc, or shore obstructions. |
| Briefing | Concise explanatory information to crew and/or passengers |
| CPA/TCPA | Closest Point of Approach /Time to Closest Point of Approach limit as defined by the observer to give warning when a tracked target or targets will close to within these limits |
| DSC | Digital Selective Calling (in the GMDSS system) |
| (D) GPS | (Differential)Global (satellite) Positioning System |
| Inoperative | Not functioning |
| MMSI | Maritime Mobile Service Identity number |
| Off air | When the transmissions of a radio station etc., have broken down, been switched off or suspended |
| Operational | Ready for immediate use |
| PA-system | Public address system: Loudspeakers in the vessel's cabins, mess rooms, etc., and on deck through which important information can be broadcast from a central point, mostly from the navigation bridge |
| Stand by (to) | To be in readiness or prepared to execute an order; to be readily available |
| Standing orders | Orders of the Master to the officer of the watch which s/he must comply with |
| Station | The allotted place or the duties of each person on board |
| Target | The echo generated e.g. by a vessel on a radar screen |
| UTC | Universal Time Co-ordinated (ex GMT) |
| VHF | Very High Frequency (30 - 300 MHz) |
2.5 Cargo, Stability & Pollution
Cargo-handling vocabulary, from the TEU as a unit of measure to the IMO-Class of a dangerous good, together with the terms of an oil spill and its containment.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Bob-cat | A mini-caterpillar with push-blade used for the careful distribution of loose goods in cargo holds of bulk carriers |
| Compatibility(of goods) | states whether different goods can be stowed together in one hold |
| COW | Crude Oil Washing: A system of cleaning the cargo tanks by washing them with the cargo of crude oil during discharged |
| IMO-Class | Group of dangerous or hazardous goods, harmful substances or marine pollutants in sea transport as classified in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) |
| Inert (to) | To reduce the oxygen in an oil tank by inert gas to avoid an explosive atmosphere |
| Jettison (to) (of cargo) | Throwing overboard of goods in order to lighten the vessel or improve its stability in case of an emergency |
| Oil clearance | Oil skimming from the surface of the water |
| Overflow | Accidental escape of oil from a tank which is full because pumping was not stopped in time |
| Polluter | A vessel emitting harmful substances into the air or spilling oil into the sea |
| Preventers | Ropes or wires attached to derricks to prevent them from swinging during cargo handling operations |
| Safety load | The maximum permissible load of a deck, etc. |
| Safe working pressure | The maximum permissible pressure in cargo hoses |
| Segregation(of goods) | Separation of goods which for different reasons must not be stowed together |
| Shifting cargo | Transverse movement of cargo, especially bulk, caused by rolling or a heavy list |
| Slings | Ropes, nets, and any other means for handling general cargoes |
| Spill (to) | The accidental escape of oil, etc., from a vessel, container, etc., into the sea |
| Spill control gear | Special equipment for fighting accidental oil spills at early stages |
| Stripping | Draining tanks of the remaining cargo, water, etc. |
| TEU | Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit (standard container dimension) |
| Transshipment (of cargo) | here: The transfer of goods from one vessel to another outside harbours |
| Union purchase | A common method of cargo handling by combining two derricks, one of which is fixed over the quay, the other over the hatchway |
2.6 Weather, Sea Marks & Hazards
Wind and sea-mark vocabulary, plus the terms the source ties to navigational warnings — Located for a position confirmed and Reported for one unconfirmed — and the words for objects that block a fairway or route.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Backing (of wind) | Shift of wind direction in an anticlockwise manner, in time (opposite of veering) |
| Cardinal buoy | A seamark, i.e. a buoy, indicating the North, East, South or West, i.e. the cardinal points from a fixed point, such as a wreck, shallow water, banks, etc. |
| Cardinal points | The four main points of the compass, i.e. North, East, South and West; for the purpose of the SMCP the intercardinal points, i.e. Northeast, Southeast, etc., are also included |
| Derelict | Goods or any other commodity, specifically a vessel abandoned at sea |
| Fume | Often harmful gas produced by fires, chemicals, fuel, etc. |
| Icing | Coating of ice on an object, e.g. the mast or superstructure of a vessel |
| Leeward | The general direction to which the wind blows; opposite of windward |
| Leeway | The angular effect on the vessel's course caused by the prevailing wind |
| Located | In navigational warnings: Position of object confirmed |
| Obstruction | An object such as a wreck, net, etc., which blocks a fairway, route, etc. |
| Off station (of buoys) | Not in charted position |
| Ordnance exercise | Naval firing practice |
| Reported | in navigational warnings: Position of object unconfirmed |
| Rig move | The movement of an oil rig, drilling platform, etc., from one position to another |
| Seemark | An elevated object on land or sea serving as a guide ... |
| Speed of advance | The speed at which a storm centre moves |
| Unlit | When the light characteristics of a buoy or a lighthouse are inoperative |
| Variable (of winds) | When a wind is permanently changing the direction from which it blows |
| Veering (of winds) | Shifting of wind direction in a manner, in time; opposite of backing |
| Windward | The general direction from which the wind blows; opposite of leeward |
| Wreck | A vessel which has been destroyed or sunk or abandoned at sea |
3. VTS Special Terms
The second part of the GLOSSARY is short — 13 entries — and gathers the vocabulary the source itself classes as special to Vessel Traffic Services: the areas, zones and lines of a separation scheme, the fairway and manoeuvring speeds, and the points at which a vessel becomes required to report or comes under an obligatory procedure.
3.1 Areas, Zones & Routing Measures
The areas and lines the source groups here, from the TSS as a whole down to the ITZ, the strip between the landward boundary of a TSS and the coast.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Fairway | Navigable part of a waterway |
| ITZ | Inshore Traffic Zone (of a TSS): A routing measure comprising a designated area between the landward boundary of a TSS and the adjacent coast |
| Reference line | A fictive line displayed on the radar screens in VTS Centres and/or electronic sea-charts separating the fairway for inbound and outbound vessels so that they can safely pass each other |
| Separation zone / line | A zone or line separating the traffic lanes in which vessels are proceeding in opposite or nearly opposite directions; or separating a traffic lane from the adjacent sea area; or separating traffic lanes designated for particular classes of vessels proceeding in the same direction |
| Traffic lane | An area within defined limits in which one-way traffic is established |
| TSS | Traffic Separation Scheme: A routing measure aimed at the separation of opposing streams of traffic by appropriate means and by the establishment of traffic lanes |
| VTS | Vessel Traffic Services: Services, designed to improve safety and efficiency of vessel traffic and to protect the environment |
| VTS-area | Area controlled by a VTS-Centre or VTS-Station |
3.2 Speed, Points & Procedures
The two speeds the source lists here — one mandatory in a fairway, one the vessel's own reduced rate in restricted waters — and the marks at which a vessel comes under an obligatory procedure or is required to report its position.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Fairway speed | Mandatory speed in a fairway |
| Manoeuvring speed | A vessel’s reduced rate of speed in restricted waters such as fairways or harbours |
| Receiving point | A mark or place at which a vessel comes under obligatory entry, transit, or escort procedure |
| Reporting point | A mark or position at which a vessel is required to report to the local VTS-Station to establish its position |
| Traffic clearance | VTS authorization for a vessel to proceed under conditions specified |