Maritime Legal Glossary: G

Gangway: a narrow portable platform used as a passage, by persons entering or leaving a vessel moored alongside a pier or quay.

GAO: general accounting office.

GATS: general agreement on trade in services.

GATT: general agreements on tariffs and trade

GBL: government bill of lading.

GDP: gross domestic product: the total value of goods and services produced by a nation over a given period, usually 1 year.

General cargo: a non-bulk oil cargo composed of miscellaneous goods.

General cargo carriers: breakbulk freighters, car carriers, cattle carriers, pallet carriers and timber carriers. 

GMDSS: global maritime distress and safety system. 

GNP: gross national product: gdp plus the net income accruing from foreign sources. 

Good faith: honestly and without deception. An agreement might be declared invalid if one of the parties entered with the intention of defrauding the other. 

Government impelled: cargo owned by or subsidized by the federal government.

GPS: global positioning system.

Great lakes ports: ports in the lakes of canada and/or usa popular for grain shipments. In canada: port arthur and fort william on lake superior; hamilton, kingston, toronto and prescott on lake ontario. In usa: chicago, milwaukee on lake michigan; duluth and superior on lake superior and toledo on lake erie. 

Great lakes ship: cargo ship developed to carry raw materials and manufactured goods on the great lakes. Most carry bulk cargoes of grain, iron ore or coal.

Gross freight: freight money collected or to be collected without calculating the expenses relating to the running cost of the ship for the voyage undertaken.

Gross negligence: failure to use even the slightest amount of care in a way which shows recklessness or willful disregard for the safety of others. 

Gross registered tons: a common measurement of the internal volume of a ship with certain spaces excluded. One ton equals 100 cubic feet; the total of all the enclosed spaces within a ship expressed in tons each of which is equivalent to 100 cubic feet.

Gross tonnage (GT): applies to vessels, not to cargo, (0.2+0.02 log10v) where v is the volume in cubic meters of all enclosed spaces on the vessel.

Grounding: deliberate contact by a ship with the bottom while she is moored or anchored as a result of the water level dropping.

Gyro pilot: an instrument, which automatically controls and steers a ship very accurately, compared with human navigation. An advanced bearing is set and the gyro pilot will direct to that point.