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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Ship Types & Ship Structure

Port side

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

nounCore term

In maritime & shipping, port side means: The left-hand side of a ship when you face forward towards the bow. At night it is shown by a red sidelight.

In Turkish: iskele, iskele tarafı, sol taraf

How it is used

In orders, reports and radio calls people usually just say 'port': 'port side alongside', 'hard to port', 'alter course to port'. Its meaning never changes with the direction a person is facing, which is why seafarers do not say 'left'.

Example sentences

  1. We will berth port side alongside, so prepare the fenders on the port side.

  2. The pilot ladder is rigged on the port side, two metres above the water.

Common collocations

  • port side alongside
  • hard to port
  • alter course to port
  • port sidelight
  • starboardThe right-hand side of a ship when you face forward towards the bow. At night it is shown by a green sidelight.
  • bowThe front end of a ship. Positions and directions on board are often described in relation to it, for example 'on the port bow'.
  • berthA place in a port where a ship ties up to load or discharge. As a verb, to berth means to bring a ship to that place. The word can also mean a bed on a ship.
  • give wayTo keep out of the way of another vessel, as the collision rules require, by altering course, changing speed or both. The vessel that must do this is the give-way vessel.

More terms: Ship Types & Ship Structure

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