POSITIONS ON BOARD AND OUTSIDE THE VESSEL

I. TERMS RELATING TO POSITION IN A SHIP

The left side of the ship facing the bow= PORT
The right side of the ship facing the bow=
STARBOARD
At the fore end of a ship = FORWARD
At the after end of a ship= AFT
At the midships part = AMIDSHIPS
Portside and starboard side can be added to these:
e.g port side forward, starboard side amidships.

A. Look at the following plan view of a hull and label it to illustrate the
meaning of the terms used to indicate position in a ship:

1.
2.
3.

2
4.
5.
6.

Here are some more terms relating to position:

In front of is known as before or forward of

Behind is known as abaft or aft of
Across the ship from side to side is athwartships
Along the length of the ship from bow to stern is fore
and aft

B.1. Study this diagram of a traditional cargo ship. Write as many

sentences as you can about the location of the different spaces within the
ship (cover the text below).

B.2. Read the description below and compare your sentences with the
sentences in the text. Underline all the expressions used to indicate
position.
A traditional general cargo ship has her engine room and bridge
superstructure amidships. She may have three holds forward of the bridge
and two holds aft of the bridge. Forward of no. 1 hold is the forecastle.
Derricks are stowed fore and aft when the ship is at sea. There are two
lifeboats, one on the port side amidships, another on the starboard side
amidships, abaft the funnel. The poop is situated aft.
(Blakey, T.N. (1987). English for Maritime Studies. London:
Prentice-Hall International, 56)

B.3. Now write a description of the modern general cargo ship shown below:

C. Vocabulary review. Expressions to indicate position on board the vessel

2

Whats being defined? Supply the correct term.

1. The left side of the ship facing the bow.
2. Position in parallel to the keel from stem to stern.
3. In a position near the bow.
4. Indicating a relative position equivalent to in front of; It is the opposite of the
word abaft
5. In or on the ship. Synonym of on board
6. Position near the stern.
7. The right hand side of the vessel when looking forward.
8. The back part (after end) of the vessel.
9. The front part (fore end) of the vessel.
10. In the middle of the ship.
11. Synonym of abaft.
12. Across the ship form side to side.

II.TERMS DESCRIBING POSIITON IN

RELATION TO A SHIP

III. Vocabulary review. Expressions to indicate position on board, Outside

the vessel and movement.
A. Translate the following terms into Spanish.
1. Abaft
2. Abaft the beam
3. Abeam
4. Abeam on the port side
5. Abeam on the starboard side
6. Aboard
7. Aft
8. Ahead

a)
b)

9. Alongside
10. Amidships
11. Astern

a)
b)

12. Athwartships
13. Before the beam
14. Bow

a)
b)

15. Fore
16. Fore and aft
17. Fore end
18. Forward
19. Forward of
20. On the port beam

21. On the port bow

22. On the port quarter
23. On the starboard bow
24. On the starboard quarter
25. Port
26. Quarter
27. Stem
28. Stern
B. Translate these sentences into English:
1. En los petroleros la sala de mquinas suele estar situada a popa.
2. La bodega nmero 5 est a proa del puente.
3. El barco est equipado con varios botes salvavidas a babor y a estribor.
4. El molinete y el ancla estn en la proa.
5. Los camarotes estn situados en la zona central del buque.
6. En el nuevo petrolero los tanques 1 y 2 estn a popa del puente.
7. El mamparo de colisin se encuentra en la proa.
8. A popa del mamparo de colisin encontramos el tanque de pique de proa.
C. Translate the following sentences from a description of the sinking of the RMS
Titanic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic)
1. A collision turned out to be inevitable, and the iceberg brushed the ship's
starboard side.
2. Second-class cabins and common rooms, located towards the stern, were equal
to first-class accommodations on other ships.
3. Lookouts Fredrick Fleet and Reginald Lee spotted a large iceberg directly ahead
of the ship.
4. Fleet sounded the ships bell three times and telephoned the bridge exclaiming,
"Iceberg, right ahead!"
5. From the bridge, the lights of a nearby ship could be seen off the port side.
6. The first lifeboat launched, boat 7, was lowered shortly after 12:40 AM on the
starboard side with only 28 people on board out of a maximum capacity of 65.