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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Ports & Port Calls

Tug

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

/tʌɡ/nounCore term

In maritime & shipping, tug means: A small but very powerful boat that pushes or pulls large ships, especially when they are berthing, unberthing or moving in narrow waters.

In Turkish: römorkör

How it is used

Also called a 'tugboat'. Tugs are ordered through the agent or the pilot; they make fast with a towline and push or pull as the pilot orders. Port rules often set the number of tugs by ship size.

Example sentences

  1. Two tugs are required for berthing, one forward and one aft.

  2. The tug is pushing on the port bow at half power.

Common collocations

  • order tugs
  • tug assistance
  • make fast the tug
  • let go the tug
  • towline
  • pilotAn experienced local mariner who boards a ship to advise the master on navigating safely into or out of a port, a canal or a narrow waterway.
  • 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.
  • mooring lineA strong rope or wire used to tie a ship to a quay, a buoy or another ship. Lines are named by their position, such as head line, stern line, breast line and spring.
  • make fastTo tie or secure a rope, a line or a tug firmly so that it holds, for example to a bollard, a cleat or the ship's side.

More terms: Ports & Port Calls

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