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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Navigation & the Bridge

Radar

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

/ˈreɪdɑːr/nounCore term

In maritime & shipping, radar means: Equipment that sends out radio waves and shows their echoes on a screen, so that officers can see the coast, other ships and buoys and measure their range and bearing, even at night or in fog.

In Turkish: radar

How it is used

Ships usually carry an X-band and an S-band radar. Officers acquire targets, track them with ARPA and watch their CPA. In restricted visibility radar plotting is essential, and radar ranges are given in nautical miles.

Example sentences

  1. I have a target on the radar at six miles, bearing two two zero.

  2. The fog was thick, so we kept both radars running and posted an extra lookout.

Common collocations

  • radar target
  • radar range
  • radar plotting
  • acquire a target
  • X-band radar
  • CPAClosest Point of Approach: the shortest distance at which another ship or object will pass if both keep their present course and speed. TCPA is the time left until that point.
  • AISAutomatic Identification System: a system that automatically broadcasts a ship's identity, position, course, speed and other data by VHF so that other ships and shore stations can see it.
  • ECDISElectronic Chart Display and Information System: an approved computer system that shows official electronic charts together with the ship's position and can replace paper charts.
  • bridgeThe raised, enclosed area from which a ship is steered and navigated. It holds the steering controls, radars, chart displays and radio equipment.
  • COLREGsThe International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972: the rules of the road at sea, covering lookout, safe speed, which ship gives way, lights, shapes and sound signals.

More terms: Navigation & the Bridge

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