Glossary of Shipping Terms

GANGÂ
A group of stevedores, usually four to five members, with a supervisor assigned to a hold or portion of the vessel being loaded or unloaded.Â

GANGWAYÂ
A narrow portable platform used as a passage, by persons entering or leaving a vessel moored alongside a pier or quay.Â

GAS TANKERÂ
Specially designed for the transport of condensed (liquefied) gases. The most important gases are: ammonia, ethylene, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), which consists mainly of methane, and is cooled to a temperature of minus 163 degrees Celcius, and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) such as butane and propane.Â

GATEWAYÂ
(1) A port of entry into a country or region. (2) A point through which freight commonly moves from one territory or carrier to anotherÂ

GATT (GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE)Â
A multilateral treaty intended to help reduce trade barriers and promote tariff concessions.Â

GDPÂ
Gross Domestic Product: The total value of goods and services produced by a nation over a given period, usually 1 year.Â

GENERAL CARGOÂ
A non-bulk oil cargo composed of miscellaneous goods.Â

GENERAL EXPORT LICENSEÂ
Any of various export licenses covering export commodities for which validated export licenses are not required.Â

GENERAL ORDER WAREHOUSEÂ
A government contract warehouse for the storage of cargoes left unclaimed for a designated number of days after availability. Unclaimed cargoes may later be auctioned publicly.Â

GEOGRAPHICAL ROTATIONÂ
Ports in order of callingÂ

GNPÂ
Gross National Product: GDP plus the net income accruing from foreign sources.Â

GOVERNMENT IMPELLEDÂ
Cargo owned by or subsidized by the Federal Government.Â

GR WT./GWÂ
Gross Weight.Â

GRAIN CAPACITYÂ
Cubic capacity in "grain"Â

GREAT LAKES PORTSÂ
Ports in the lakes of Canada and/or USA popular for grain shipments. In Canada: Port Arthur and Fort William in Lake Superior; Hamilton, Kingston, Toronto and Prescott in Lake Ontario. In USA: Chicago, Milwaukee in Lake Michigan; Duluth and Superior in Lake Superior and Toledo in Lake Erie.Â

GREAT LAKES SHIPÂ
Cargo ship developed to carry raw materials and manufactured goods on the Great Lakes. Most carry bulk cargoes of grain, iron ore, or coal.Â

GROSS AND NET TONNAGE (GT AND NT)Â
Gross tonnage is the basis on which manning rules and safety regulations are applied, and registration fees are reckoned. Port fees are also often reckoned on the basis of GT and NT. GT and NT are defined according to formulas which take account, among other things, of the volume of the vessel's enclosed spaces (GT) and the volume of its holds (NT).Â

GROSS FREIGHTÂ
Freight money collected or to be collected without calculating the expenses relating to the running cost of the ship for the voyage undertaken.Â

GROSS REGISTERED TONSÂ
A common measurement of the internal volume of a ship with certain spaces excluded. One ton equals 100 cubic feet; the total of all the enclosed spaces within a ship expressed in tons each of which is equivalent to 100 cubic feet.Â

GROSS WEIGHTÂ
The full weight of a shipment, including containers and packaging materials.Â

GROUNDINGÂ
Deliberate contact by a ship with the bottom while she is moored or anchored as a result of the water level dropping.Â

Glossary of Shipping Terms

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Glossary of Shipping Terms