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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Crew & Ranks

Master

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

/ˈmæstər/nounCore term

In maritime & shipping, master means: The officer in overall command of a merchant ship, legally responsible for the safety of the ship, crew, passengers and cargo. In everyday speech the master is called the captain.

In Turkish: kaptan, gemi kaptanı

How it is used

'Master' is the official word in laws, conventions, logbooks and charter parties: master's signature, master's authority, master's standing orders. On board and on the radio people usually say 'Captain'.

Example sentences

  1. The master signed the notice of readiness and sent it to the agent.

  2. The master has the final say on whether it is safe to sail.

Common collocations

  • master's authority
  • master mariner
  • master's standing orders
  • master's night orders
  • chief officerThe senior deck officer, second in command after the master. The chief officer is usually responsible for cargo work, stability, deck maintenance and the deck crew.
  • officer of the watch (OOW)The deck or engineer officer in charge of a watch. On the bridge, the OOW represents the master and is responsible for safe navigation during that watch.
  • crewAll the people who work on board a ship, from the master to the ratings. It can also mean only the ratings, as distinct from the officers.
  • bridgeThe raised, enclosed area from which a ship is steered and navigated. It holds the steering controls, radars, chart displays and radio equipment.

More terms: Crew & Ranks

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