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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Engine Room

Steering gear

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

nounCommon term

In maritime & shipping, steering gear means: The machinery, usually hydraulic, that turns the rudder according to the orders from the bridge. It is located in the steering gear room at the stern.

In Turkish: dümen makinesi, dümen donanımı

How it is used

SOLAS requires the steering gear to be checked and tested within 12 hours before departure, and emergency steering drills to be held regularly, with the crew steering from the steering gear room on local control.

Example sentences

  1. The steering gear was tested before departure and found in good order.

  2. We switched to emergency steering after a steering gear failure.

Common collocations

  • steering gear test
  • steering gear room
  • steering gear failure
  • emergency steering drill
  • rudderA flat, movable blade at the stern, under the water, that is turned to change the direction of the ship.
  • helmThe wheel or control used to steer a ship, and by extension the steering of the ship itself. The person who steers is the helmsman.
  • engine roomThe space low inside a ship that holds the main engine, generators, pumps and other machinery. Engineers and engine ratings work and keep watch there.
  • SOLASThe International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea: the main IMO treaty that sets minimum safety standards for the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships.

More terms: Engine Room

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