Port agency glossary – Sermarine Shipping Agency

The words used in a port call in Algeria, from the nomination to the final account, in plain English.

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Agent (port agent, ship agent): The company that represents the shipowner or charterer at a port: it prepares the call, deals with the port, terminal and authorities, and accounts for the costs.

Ballast declaration: A statement by the master of the quantity and type of ballast water on board. Algerian ports ask tankers for one on arrival.
Bonded stores: Ship’s stores kept under customs seal while in port, such as alcohol and tobacco, listed on the ship’s stores declaration.

Call number: The reference a call gets when the ship arrives. Every document for the call carries it.
Clearance (outwards): The authorities’ permission for the ship to sail, after customs, immigration and the harbour master are satisfied.
Compte d’escale: The local office’s account of a call in Algeria, in dinars, with the port’s invoices. The FDA is built from it.

Declaration of security (DOS): An ISPS agreement between the ship and the port facility on the security measures each will take.
Draft (draught): How deep the ship sits in the water. Berths set a maximum draft.
Drifting: Waiting for a berth without anchoring. At Arzew and Bethioua, ships drift because anchoring is not permitted.

ETA notices: Messages giving the ship’s expected time of arrival, sent at set intervals before arrival (96, 72, 48, 24 and 12 hours at Arzew and Skikda).

FAL forms: The IMO’s standard forms for ship formalities: general declaration, cargo, stores, crew effects, crew list, passenger list and dangerous goods.
FDA (final disbursement account): The final account of a port call’s costs, with the invoices, issued after the ship sails.
Free pratique: Permission from the health authorities for the ship to make contact with the shore.

H2S: Hydrogen sulphide, a toxic gas in some crude oils and condensates. At Skikda, the surveyors ask for the H2S levels in the tanks.
Husbandry: Services for the ship and crew rather than the cargo: crew changes, spares, stores, fresh water, provisions.

ISPS Code: The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, which sets security levels and procedures for ships and ports.

Laycan: The laydays and cancelling dates: the window in which the ship must arrive to load under the charter.
LOA (length overall): The ship’s total length. Berths set a maximum LOA, and Skikda sets tug numbers by it.

MARSEC level: The maritime security level (1 normal, 2 heightened, 3 exceptional) under the ISPS Code.
Maritime Declaration of Health: The master’s declaration on the health of everyone on board, required before free pratique.

Nil list: A declaration that the ship has nothing to declare in a category, such as no passengers or no arms.
Nomination: The principal’s appointment of an agent for a call. In our case, always by email.
NOR (notice of readiness): The master’s notice that the ship has arrived and is ready to load or discharge. Laytime counting depends on it.

Overtime: Work outside normal port hours, which some ports charge extra for. At Arzew it covers 21:00 to 05:00, Fridays and public holidays; Skikda has charged none on berthing since 2019.

Parallel body: The length of the hull with flat, parallel sides, which must be long enough to rest against the berth’s fenders.
PDA (proforma disbursement account): The estimate of a port call’s costs before the ship arrives.
PFSO (port facility security officer): The officer responsible for security at the port facility under the ISPS Code; ships send their pre-arrival security form to the PFSO.
Pre-funding: The principal’s payment of the PDA in advance, so the port costs are covered.
Principal: The party that appoints the agent: shipowner, operator, manager, charterer or trader.
Protective agent: An agent appointed by the owner to look after its interests when the charterer has appointed the main agent.

SBT (segregated ballast tanks): Ballast tanks separate from the cargo tanks. Ships with SBT can have a reduced gross tonnage for port dues.
Sea line: An offshore berth where the ship connects to a pipeline at sea rather than alongside a jetty.
SOF (statement of facts): The record of the times of everything that happens during the call, from arrival to sailing. Laytime is calculated from it.
SPM (single point mooring): An offshore buoy the ship moors to and loads or discharges through hoses.
Standby tug: A tug kept ready near the ship while it is at the berth or buoy, for safety.

UN/LOCODE: The United Nations’ five-character code for a port, such as DZAZW for Arzew and DZSKI for Skikda.

VEF (vessel experience factor): The average difference between the ship’s measured and the shore’s figures over recent voyages, used in cargo calculations.