Vessel particulars and details.

The main parts of the ship

I. Presentation. Warm Up
1. Have you ever seen any ship in your life? How did she look like?

Focus On
Look at the picture and describe the vessel

II. Practice. Reading

2. Read the text and give it the title.
You may be asking yourself “How can I learn about vessels?” The best way is to learn the
names of the main body parts that are common to all types of ships.
The main body of a ship is called the hull. This doesn’t include interior or deck fittings. In other
words, a hull is without rigging, machinery, masts, or other equipment. The extreme fore end of the
hull is called bow or stem. The extreme aft end is the stern.
The length of the hull is divided into three parts:
1) forepart,
2) midships or amidship part, and
3) after part.
The line that runs the length of the ship is called the for-and-aft midship line. This line divides
the ship into two equal parts. If you look towards the bow along for-and-aft midship line, the right-hand
side is called the starboard half and the left-hand side is called the port half of the ship. These are
known also as the port side and starboard side.
 There are compartments inside the hull. The compartments are formed by vertical separations
(longitudinal and transverse bulkheads) and horizontal separations (decks). These compartments and
spaces serve as storage spaces for cargo, stores, equipment, spare parts, liquids, etc.
The upper deck or main deck is often the deck that is exposed to sea and weather. That is why
the main deck is also called the “weather deck”. The foremost part of the upper deck is called the
forecastle. The anchor winches are situated on this deck.
The tweendeck is the intermediate deck between upper deck and the inside bottom of the
vessel, called tanktop. The tweendecks divide the vessel into separate holds. The upper holds and
lower holds are the spaces that contain the cargoes. Spaces for liquid cargoes are called tanks. Access
to holds can be obtained through hatches.
The foremost and aftermost spaces of the vessel are the peak tanks. They may serve as storage
spaces for ballast water are capable of “absorbing” a part of the impact forces that are released in case
of collision. The anchor chain is stored in the chain locker. It is situated over the fore peaktank. The
upper part of the fore peaktank is called the boatswain’s (or bosun’s) locker, where ropes, paint and
dunnage are kept.
On the main deck we find superstructure with the accommodation for the crew and
passengers, the messroom, the galley and the pantry.
The navigating bridge contains the wheelhouse with the control station, the chartroom where
charts, pilot books and publications are kept, and the radio room.

3. Name the following parts of the ship. Use the words in bold from the text
1. a – _____________________
2. b – _____________________
3. c – _____________________
4. d – _____________________
5. e – _____________________
6. g – _____________________
7. h – _____________________
8. n – ____________________
4. Give the definitions to the following terms:
1.tweendeck - ___________________________________________________________________
2. starboard side - ________________________________________________________________
3. hull (or …) - ___________________________________________________________________
4. stern - ________________________________________________________________________
5. hatch - _______________________________________________________________________
6. stem - ________________________________________________________________________
7. tank - ________________________________________________________________________
8. hold - ________________________________________________________________________
9. deck - ________________________________________________________________________
10. bulkheads - __________________________________________________________________
11. compartment - ________________________________________________________________

Home task
1. Insert the titles