Glossary of Shipping Terms

U.S. EFFECTIVE CONTROLLED FLEETÂ
That fleet of merchant ships owned by United States citizens or corporations and registered under flags of "convenience" or "necessity" such as Liberia or Panama. The term is used to emphasize that, while the fleet is not U.S.-flag, it is effectively under U.S. control by virtue of the ship's owners and can be called to serve U.S. interests in time of emergency.Â

U.S.-FLAG VESSELSÂ
are registered in the United States and are subject to additional U.S. laws and regulations to which foreign-flag vessels are not. They must be owned by U.S. citizens, corporations, or governments and must be crewed mainly by U.S. citizens.Â

ULCCÂ
Ultra Large Crude Carriers. Tankers larger than 300,000 dwt.Â

ULD (UNIT LOAD DEVICE)Â
A pallet or container for freight.Â

UMLERÂ
(Universal Machine Language Equipment Register) a computer readable file of vital statistics for each railroad car in service. It applies to all railroads, types of cars, and data processing machinesÂ

UNCLEAN BILL OF LADINGÂ
(See Bill of Lading, Unclean)Â

UNCTADÂ
United Nations Conference on Trade and DevelopmentÂ

UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODEÂ
The Uniform Commercial Code, or Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits ICC Publication No. 500, was first established and published in 1933 by the International Chamber of Commerce. Revisions were made in 1951, 1962, 1974, 1983, and 1993. The code defines documentation standards to be followed by international banks when negotiating letters of credit. The code is binding, and seeks to define a worldwide standard applicable to all involved in international trade, exchanging goods, and money using the international letter of credit.Â

UNITIZATIONÂ
The packing of single or multiple consignments into ULDs or pallets.Â

UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNIONÂ
The organization which negotiates international mail charges.Â

UNMANNED MACHINERY SPACESÂ
A space where alarm bells are installed on the bridge of a ship to trace or rectify any machinery faults. The computerized devices will report any fault immediately it appears and the engineers on board can attend to the necessary ramifications.Â

UNSEAWORTHINESSÂ
The state or condition of a vessel when it is not in a proper state of maintenance, or if the loading equipment or crew, or in any other respect is not ready to encounter the ordinary perils of sea.Â

Glossary of Shipping Terms

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Glossary of Shipping Terms