S
Saleform - Memorandum of agreement giving details of the purchase of a ship, devised by the Norwegian Shipbroker's Association.
SB — Safe Berth - Term in a charter party which places the responsibility onto the cargo interests to order the chartered ship to a berth which is physically safe for her while she is there for the purpose of loading or discharging.
SD - Single deck ship.
Sea Waybill – See liner waybill
Seaworthiness - Fitness of a ship for a particular voyage with a particular cargo. The main requirements for seaworthiness are that a ship has sufficient crew, stores and fuel, the machinery and equipment are in good repair and that the ship is fit to receive an carry the cargo.
Service Agreement or Service Contract - Agreement between a shipper and a liner conference in which the shipper undertakes to ship some or all, as the case may be, of his cargo on conference line ships for a specific period of time in return for an agreed rate of freight and level of service. Some contracts require the shipper to achieve a minimum quantity of cargo over the agreed period.
SHEX - Sundays and Holidays Excepted - Charter-Party term which provides that Sundays and public holidays do not count in the calculation of laytime. See also even if used. and unless used.
SHINC - Sundays and Holidays Included - Charter-Party term, which provides that Sundays and public holidays count in the calculation of laytime, whether or not used for loading or discharging, as the case may be.
Shipbroker - Person having one or several occupations: chartering agent or owner's broker, negotiating the terms for the charter of a ship on behalf of a charterer or shipowner respectively, sale and purchase broker, negotiating on behalf of a buyer or seller of a ship: ship's agent, attending to the requirements of a ship, her master and crew when in port on behalf of the shipowner, loading broker, whose business is to attract cargoes to the ships of his principal.
Shipped Bill of Lading or Shipped on Board Bill of Lading - Bill of Lading issued when the goods have been loaded on board the ship. This type of Bill of Lading, which must contain a reference to the goods having shipped on board, is often required by banks who advance money using the Bill of Lading as collateral security and who wish to be satisfied that the goods are on board the ship.
Shipper - Person or company who enters into a contract with a liner conference, shipping line or shipowner for the carriage of goods.
Ship's Agent - Person who looks after the interests of a ship while she is in port. His duties include the arranging of pilotage, towage and a berth for the ship, the signing of bills of lading and the collection of freight. The agent is paid a fee, agreed in advance with the shipowner.
Short Form Bill of Lading - Bill of Lading which does not have printed on it the full terms and conditions of the contract of carriage but instead contains a reference to the carrier's conditions, normally stating that a copy is available on request.
Short Shipment - Part of consignment which has not been shipped in a specific ship, normally because there was insufficient space in the ship or because the goods arrived at the port of loading after the ship has completed loading or has sailed.
Sim Sub. - Similar Substitute - ship offered by a shipowner to a charterer as a replacement for the one originally chartered which is similar in respect of the principal characteristics, which include deadweight, capacities and hold and hatch sizes.
Sister Ship - Ship with the same specification as another. This is sometimes offered to a charterer by a shipowner who has two or more identical ships but is not certain at the time of negotiating the charter that will be in the most suitable geographical position to perform the voyage.
SP – Safe Port - Term in a Charter-Party which places the responsibility on to the cargo interests to order the chartered ship to a pod which is physically and politically safe for her to reach, remain and leave, taking into consideration the cargo to be loaded or discharged.
S & P Sale and Purchase Broker - Person who negotiates the terms for the sale of a ship on behalf of the buyer or seller.
SSHEX - Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays Excepted - Charter-Party term which provides that Saturdays. Sundays and public holidays do not count in the calculation of laytime. See also even if used, and unless used.
SSHINC - Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays Included - Charter-Party term which provides that Sundays and public holidays count in the calculation of laytime. whether or not used for loading or discharging, as the case may be.
Statement of Facts - Statement, prepared by the ship's agent at the loading and discharging ports, which shows the date and times of arrival of the ship and the commencement and completion of loading and discharging. It details the quantity of cargo loaded or discharged each day, the hours worked and the hours stopped with the reasons for the stoppages, such as bad weather, a strike or breakdown of equipment.
Stem - Availability of a cargo on the date or dates on which a ship is offering to load.
Strike Clause - Clause in a Bill of Lading or Charter-Party that sets out the options available to the parties to the contract of carriage in the event that a strike prevents or interrupts the loading or discharging of the cargo. The wording of the clause and the options vary according to the individual contract. In the case of a charter, the clause may contain a provision for the effect of a strike on laytime.
Sub-Charterer - Person or company who charters a ship for a party, who is not the owner but who, in turn, has chartered the ship.
Sub-Freight - Freight payable by the sub-charterer, normally to the charterer.
Sub. Details - Subject Details - Term qualifying an offer or counter-offer for the charter of a ship which demotes that only minor details remain to be agreed. It is widely accepted that the conclusion of a contract is conditional on these details being agreed although an American court has ruled that the acceptance of such offer or counter-offer is sufficient to create a contract, leaving the details to be agreed subsequently.
Sub. Free - Subject Free - Term used in an offer made by a shipowner to signify that the acceptance of that offer will only result in a contract if one has not been concluded in the meantime with a third party. Also referred to as subject open or subject unfixed.
Sub. Open - Subject Open - see subject free.
Sub. Unfixed - Subject Unfixed - See subject free.
Subject Stem - Subject to the availability of the cargo on the dates on which a ship is offering to load.
Sub-Let - The charter of a ship to one party by another party who is not the owner but who, in turn. has the charter of the ship. Also referred to as a sub-charter.
Substitute - Replacement for a ship for a particular voyage.
Substitution - The replacement of a ship with another ship. A shipowner often has an option in a voyage to employ a ship other than the one named in the Charter-Party since he may not know which of his ships will be capable of performing the voyage at the time the contract is concluded, particularly if this is done well in advance of loading.
SWL - Safe Working Load - Maximum load which can safely be borne by a lifting or hauling appliance, such as crane or winch. The safe working load is generally marked clearly on the equipment and must not be exceeded.