Shippers’ councils.  When liner conferences were formed they represented the ocean carriers and whether or not they exercised monopoly power, they still presented a negotiating group that had strong bargaining power.

Subject owners' approval of charterers. If "subject to Board approval" tends to favour the charterer, this restriction certainly favours the shipowner.

Spot market. When a shipowner or vessel operator wishes to use the vessel for tramping services, on voyage charters only, he is said to offer his ship on the spot market.

Seaworthiness admitted provision. This applies to cargo insurance.

Stowage factor warranty. When a ship is chartered to load a "full and complete cargo" or a "Min/Max" quantity, the owner is interested in the actual quantity being loaded by the Charterer, especially if his freight revenue is based on the quantity.

Short form of bill of lading. These bills of lading are issued by shipping companies or agents, that is, carriers, and indicate that some or all the terms and conditions of the document which is evidence of the contract of carnage can be found in another document, the “long form of bill of lading”. This latter may be obtainable on request or can be inspected at the office of the carrier or agent.

Specific gravity. When describing this measurement unit of a cargo, liquid cargo is measured in "S.G." or "Specific gravity".

SSW. This is an abbreviation for "Summer Salt Water" and refers to the draught of the ship when it is loaded to its summer load line in salt water, that is, in the open sea. The summer draught is the maximum draught to which the ship can be loaded depending on the "freeboards" and "loadlines" assigned to it by the assigning authorities.

Stevedore clause. A clause in a voyage charterparty may provide for the appointment and payment of the stevedores who carry out cargo handling.

Surf days. Laytime can be interrupted by bad weather and by meteorological conditions, which may interfere with loading and/or discharging.

Speed clause. The oil price shocks of 1973 and certainly those of 1979 caused bunker fuel prices to increase.

Shipowners. The owners of a vessel are the persons or companies officially registered as owners of the ship.

Sets of bills of lading. Bills of lading are requested by shippers in a set usually of three “originals”, although in some Countries many more “original” sets may be required for different reasons, some commercial, some regulatory.

Sub-letting. It is customary to stipulate in a time or voyage charterparty that charterers have the right of sub-letting the whole or part of the vessel on the understanding, however, that they remain responsible to the shipowners for the due fulfilment of the original charterparty. In the case of a voyage charterparty, sub-letting will probably take the form of booking other cargo by charterers.

Subject receivers' approval. This is an unusual restriction and can make the charter dependent on the cargo receiver's approval of the ship in the discharging port.