H
/Hague Rules - See "Carrier’s Liability Acts (Ocean)."
Hague-Visby RULES - See "Carrier's Liability Acts (Ocean)."
Halyard
Rope, line, and tackle usually attached to the mast and used for hoisting and lowering items such as equipment or sails.
Hamburg Rules - See "Carrier's Liability Acts (Ocean)."
Harbor Master
A person who supervises berthing of yachts and other vessels in a harbor or marina.
Harter Act - See "Carrier's Liability Acts (Ocean)."
Hatch
An opening, generally rectangular, in a vessel's deck affording access to the compartment below.
The day a repair yard hauls a vessel out of the water (for maintenance work, repair work, or storage) and the day it hauls the vessel back into the water are both haul days. Each time the vessel is hauled, the repair yard charges the vessel owner for two haul days and as many full lay days in between as it takes to do the work. See "Haul Out" and "Lay Days."
To draw or lift a vessel from the water to the shore for maintenance work, repair work or storage.
HAZ MAT (Hazardous Materials)
Substances classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Transportation of hazardous materials is strictly regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Head
A vessel’s toilet. The name is believed to have come from the fact that the toilet facilities on sailing ships were located in the bow (head) of the vessel.
Heave
1. To throw a dock line, anchor line, or life ring.
2. To pull, raise, or lift, e.g. heave in the anchor line, or heave on the capstan or a block and tackle.
3. Heave to - to bring the ship to a stop in heavy weather, e.g. reduce sails or power.
4. Also hove, e.g. the ships hove into view above the horizon or alongside.
5. Heave Ho. A command to push or pull together, e.g. on the anchor line (the slang term came from sea chanties sung while pulling up the anchor).
6. See "Vessel Movement."
Held Covered
An extension of coverage by an insurance company in certain circumstances where coverage is not already provided by the policy. To take advantage of the policy’s "held covered" clause, it is usually required that the insured give prompt notice to the insurance company of the circumstances that have taken place, and pay any reasonable additional premium required.
Helmsman
The person responsible for steering a vessel. See also "Coxswain."
High Cube Container
A container over 8 feet 6 inches in height.
Himalaya Clause
A clause in bills of lading extending to stevedores, terminal operators, etc. certain defenses available to the shipowner in the bill of lading, e.g. stevedores using the carrier’s liability limitation of $500 per package.
Hold
An enclosed space on the vessel in which cargo is carried.
Holddown Clamp
A device used to hold a container to the truck chassis during transit.
Hook Damage
Damage to breakbulk cargo caused by stevedores' hooks.
House-to-House - See "Door-To-Door."
House-To-Pier
Cargo loaded into a container by the shipper and unloaded from the container at the port of discharge.
Hull
The structural framework of a vessel, together with all decks, deckhouses, and hull plating, but exclusive of engines, masts, spars, rigging, and equipment.
Humping
The process of making up trains in a railroad yard by uncoupling the cars on a track that is slightly elevated to the train being made up on the classification tracks in the yard. The cars roll down the incline and are switched to the correct tracks, where they connect to the various trains being made up.
A tropical cyclone with winds of 74 mph or greater in the North Atlantic, Caribbean / West Indies, and North Pacific Oceans. The winds rotate in a counter-clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and clock-wise in the Southern Hemisphere moving from east to west following the general direction of the wind and ocean current in the area. They originate over water in the tropics between 5 and 30 degrees of latitude (2/3 of them in the Northern Hemisphere). When they leave the warm waters of the tropics, they lose their power and the wind diminishes. See "Storm" and "Weather Warnings" Appendix D.
Husband / Husbanding Agent
An agent in a foreign port who takes care of the ship’s needs.
