Dictionary of Maritime Terms English-Italian-English, 6th Edition - Including SMCP and Common Maritime Acronyms and Abbreviations

This dictionary contains all of the most common terms relevant to seafaring, such as shipbuilding, navigation, thermodynamics, instrumentation, onboard systems, fishing and sailing. An abbreviations section, IPA symbols and imagery all support readers’ conceptualisation of the maritime terms. The book is appended with an extensive reference section and useful onboard forms and checklists.

Through this work, which is the product of extensive research, I wish to produce a modern, up to date and user friendly working tool for maritime personnel.

The dictionary contains all of the most common terms relevant to seafaring, shipbuilding, navigation (celestial, electronic, hyperbolic, plain navigation), marine engines, thermodynamics, instrumentation, automation and systems on board, machine tools, types of ancient and modern vessels, maritime signalling, maritime trade, fishing, and sailing.

The work makes continuous reference to the SMCP (Standard Marine Communication Phrases). This standard was adopted by the IMO Assembly in November 2001, through Resolution A.918(22). It replaced the obsolete ‘Standard Marine Navigational Vocabulary’, which had been adopted by the IMO in 1975 and subsequently amended in 1985.

As the name suggests, the SMCP is made up of terms, expressions or phrases covering all the main fields connected with safety in ship–shore, shore–ship, and intership communications.

The SMCP has been designed to bypass the problem of language barriers in communication. Multinational crews on board ships are commonplace, and miscommunication is often the cause of serious accidents at sea.

Another feature of the work is the ‘Abbreviations and Acronyms’ section, which has been developed through the consultation of specific international publications and websites of organisations such as the IMO (International Maritime Organization), INMARSAT (International Maritime Satellite Organization), WMU (World Maritime University), MAIB (Maritime Accident Investigation Branch), ISF (International Shipping Federation), US Coast Guard, MCA (Maritime and Coast Guard Agency) and AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority).

The dictionary is greatly improved in this sixth edition, both in terms of quantity and quality. In addition to incorporating a higher number of updated items, it also includes a considerable number of pictures, tables, forms and checklists which make the dictionary more functional.

However, the main feature of this new edition is the inclusion beside each entry of the relevant IPA (International Phonetic Association) transcription. This, together with the SMCP indication, represents a further effort by the author to standardise the dictionary and, ultimately, to enhance safety during maritime communications.

1. English–Italian
2. Preface
3. Guide to using the Dictionary
4. About the Author
5. List of Abbreviations used
6. English–Italian A–Z
7. Abbreviations and Acronyms
8. Italiano–Inglese
9. Prefazione
10. Guida alla Consultazione
11. L’autore
12. Lista delle Abbreviazioni usate
13. Italian–English A–Z
14. Irregular Verbs/Verbi Irregolari
15. Appendix/Appendice
16. Forms and Checklists

Professor Pietro del Rosso

Prof. Pietro del Rosso has been a teacher at I.I.S.S ‘Amerigo Vespucci’ in Molfetta, Italy, for over 42 years. As well as creating the Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) project, del Rosso deals with technical translation connected to operation and maintenance manuals. He is the author of several international maritime publications.