Rate of loading or discharging. This is usually given in a charterparty in tons per day and is used to calculate the laytime.

Revenue ton (R/T). This is the measurement unit for cargo carried by liner operators or liner conferences.

Reefer container.  This is one category of container that is thermally insulated and can carry deep frozen goods or goods that must be maintained at a constant temperature.

Reserve buoyancy. The submerged part of a vessel provides it with buoyancy.

Received for shipment bill of lading. This is a bill of lading issued by the carrier before the goods have been loaded.

Re cap telex.  This expression is an abbreviation for a "recapitulation" message, where all the points raised during the negotiations that have been completed before the fixing of a ship on charter are gone over and summarised again.

Reachable on arrival. (See also Always accessible.) In the Charterparty Laytime Definitions 1980, this expression is defined as meaning that "... the Charterer undertakes that when the ship arrives at the port there will be a loading) discharging berth for her to which she can proceed without delay".

Ready berth clause. In a "berth charter" it is important to include a stipulation in a charterparty to the effect that the Notice of Readiness can be tendered (and laydays will begin to count) as soon as the vessel has arrived at the port of loading or discharge "whether in berth or not".

Readiness.  A Notice of "Readiness" is the "trigger" that commences the counting of laytime.

Round trip or Round voyage. A charter for a "round voyage" may be a mixture of a. time charter and a voyage charter (similar to a trip charter).

Running days or Consecutive days. These are days, used for laytime, which follow one immediately after another.

Ro/Ro vessels. (Roll on/Roll off.) These are ferries and cargo vessels designed to carry cargoes of wheeled units.

Relet clause.  In the MULTIFORM voyage charterparty the Relet clause gives the charterers the option of sub-chartering the ship to others.

Registered tonnage. This is Gross tonnage less “Deductions” less “Allowance for Propelling Machinery Space”. (See Tonnage of Ships)

Stowage Factor (SF) is the volume occupied by one unit of mass (weight) when stowed in a cargo space.