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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Cargo Handling

Cargo hold

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

nounCore term

In maritime & shipping, cargo hold means: A large space inside a ship's hull where cargo is carried. Holds are numbered from the bow, and each one is closed from above by a hatch cover.

In Turkish: ambar, yük ambarı

How it is used

Usually just 'hold': No. 1 hold, hold cleaning, hold inspection. Before loading, surveyors check that the holds are clean, dry and free of smell, which is especially important for grain.

Example sentences

  1. The surveyor rejected cargo hold No. 3 because of rust scale on the frames.

  2. We need to wash all five cargo holds before loading grain.

Common collocations

  • hold cleaning
  • hold inspection
  • No. 2 cargo hold
  • pass the hold survey
  • hatch coverThe strong, watertight steel lid that closes the opening on top of a cargo hold. It is opened for loading and discharging and kept closed at sea.
  • bulk carrierA ship built to carry unpacked dry cargo, such as grain, coal, iron ore or fertiliser, loose in its holds.
  • stowage planA plan that shows where each part of the cargo will be placed on a ship, taking into account weight, stability, discharge ports and dangerous goods.
  • stevedoreA worker, or a company, that loads and unloads ships in port. Stevedores operate cranes, handle the cargo and do lashing work.

More terms: Cargo Handling

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