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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Ship Types & Ship Structure

Draught

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

/dræft/nounCore term

In maritime & shipping, draught means: The vertical distance between the waterline and the lowest point of a ship's keel. It shows how deep the ship sits in the water and changes with cargo and ballast.

In Turkish: su çekimi, draft

How it is used

Read from draught marks at the bow, stern and midships, and reported to pilots and terminals as forward, aft and maximum draught. Ports have a maximum permitted draught, and a draught survey uses these readings to calculate cargo weight.

Example sentences

  1. Our arrival draught is 11.2 metres forward and 11.6 metres aft.

  2. The channel limits the maximum draught to 12.5 metres at low water.

Common collocations

  • maximum draught
  • draught marks
  • draught survey
  • arrival draught
  • even keel
  • freeboardThe vertical distance from the waterline up to the main deck at the ship's side. Load line rules set a minimum freeboard to keep the ship safe.
  • hullThe main watertight body of a ship, including its bottom and sides but not the masts, superstructure or equipment on deck.
  • ballastSeawater, or sometimes another heavy material, carried in special tanks to keep a ship stable, upright and at a safe draught when it has little or no cargo.
  • deadweightThe total weight a ship can safely carry, including cargo, fuel, fresh water, stores and crew, measured in tonnes. It is usually written DWT.

More terms: Ship Types & Ship Structure

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