The existing conditions of a vessel whose fore and aft drafts are equal.A ship is said to swim on an even keel when she draws the same quantity of water abaft as forwards. … [Read more...]

Estimated Time of Departure … [Read more...]

Estimated Time of Arrival … [Read more...]

The flag carried by a ship as insignia of her nationality. … [Read more...]

Emergency position-indicating radio beaconA device, usually carried aboard maritime craft, that transmits a signal that alerts search and rescue authorities and enables rescue units to locate the scene of the distress. … [Read more...]

step of a pilot ladder which prevents the ladder from twisting … [Read more...]

A warm current that usually appears around Christmas off the coast of Ecuador and Peru. In this report the term is used to refer to episodic (3-5 year) events when the current is particularly intense and dominates the local population of organisms (the abundance of fish in particular). Such events lead to wider regional or global oceanatmospheric perturbations whose manifestations range from increased sea surface temperatures in the tropical East Pacific to aberrant rainfall patterns. (see also ENSO) … [Read more...]

ECA or Emission Control AreaA sea area in which particular control exist to minimise air emissions from ships. … [Read more...]

The range of hydrocarbon gas concentrations in the air between the lower and upper flammable (explosive) limits. Mixtures within this range are capable of being ignited and of burning. … [Read more...]

Electrical equipment is defined and certified as explosion-proof when it is enclosed in a case which is capable of withstanding the explosion within it of a hydrocarbon gas/air mixture or other specified flammable gas mixture. It must also prevent the ignition of such a mixture outside the case either by spark or flame from the internal explosion or as a result of the temperature rise of the case following the internal explosion. The equipment must operate at such an external temperature that a surrounding flammable atmosphere will not be ignited. Also referred to as ‘Flame-proof’  … [Read more...]