• Main parts of the ship

Introduction
 Introduction
• A ship is made of steel and composite material and
has both visible and invisible but structural parts.

• While common visible parts of a ship are; rudder,

anchor, bow, keel, accommodation, propeller, mast,
bridge, hatch covers, and bow thrusters. On another
hand invisible but structural part of the ship
consists of; bulkheads, frames, cargo holds, hopper
tank, double bottom, girders, cofferdams, side shell,
etc.
• For a person facing the bow ( The most
forward part of the ship ) for a moving
ship; the side to his left hand is called
port while on his right is called
starboard.
• Similarly; the side to his front is forward
and that to his back is called astern.
• Now; we will learn about parts of the
ship that is common to all.
Hull
1- Hull (General)
 Ships’ Hull
 A hull is a part of the ship that extends below the waterline to
cover and protect water from getting in. You can consider it as
the shell which protects the inside treasures from the outside
environment.
 Everything that is stored and situated within the main ship
structure is covered and protected by the ship's hull. It includes
the key parts of the ship such as the bow, deck, bottom keel, and
both sides of the ship.
 They are made up of a series of plates jointed together called
stakes.
 Function: Made of steel the key role of a ship's hull is to maintain
its water-tight integrity and reduce water drag. And so, hull plays
a major role in determining the overall efficiency of a ship.
 1- Hull (General)

1. The Hull: Is the main body of a ship excluding masts and

other equipment, It is divided mainly into three parts, the
fore part, the middle part, and the after part.
2. Bow: The fore-most curved portion of the hull.
3. middle: The mid-ship portion of the hull.
4. Stern: The after-most curved portion of the hull.
5. Starboard: The right side of a vessel when looking forward.
6. Port: The left side of a vessel when looking forward.
The Hull
 III II I
The after part The mid ship part The fore part
(Ends in the stern) (Starts with the stem)
The Bow
 Bow

• Function: Have you feel that extra effort you

have to make to walk through water? That is
due to water drag and its resistance to your
body motion. So, to reduce similar negative
forces on ships body; bow are placed on ship
assisting easy propulsion.
• So, we can say that a bow is the frontmost
part of a ship that cuts the water along its
sides as the ship proceeds.
•
 Bow

• In ship design, the bow plays an important

part in that it influences the flow of water
past the rest of the hull, affecting the vessel's
hull resistance and performance.
• The key two requirements for a bow are to
have; minimum drag possible or so-called
resistance between the water and the ship's
hull and must be tall enough to avoid water
splashing too easily on top of it.
 Bow

The BOW is the forward-most part of a ship's

bow above the waterline.
Parts of
A bow
 2. Parts of Bow
A. Jack staff:
A small flag staff at the stem head on which ships
hoist their owner's house-flag & the anchor black
ball.
B- Hawse pipe:
A pipe extending
from the shell
plate to the deck
through which the
anchor chain pass
from outboard to
inboard.
C- Compressor:
• An anchor
chain link
stopper.
D- Windlass:
• Deck
machinery
for paying
out and
lifting up the
anchor
chain.
E- Chain locker:
• A locker to
stow the
anchor chain
located
underneath
the bow deck.
F- Chain pipe:
• A pipe which leads the anchor chains
from the windlass to the chain locker
 G- Bollard:
• Short stanchion (s)
used for mooring
the vessel. One
short stanchion is
called a bollard,
Twin
bollard bollard
while a set of two
short stanchions is
called a twin
bollard.
H. Forepeak tank:
A water tank located beneath the
lowermost deck of the bow. It is used as a
trimming or domestic water tank.
 I. Fore watertight bulkhead:
• one of the main vertical partitions
in a ship. And act as safeguard
against sea and spread of fire.
 Bow thrusters ( tunnel thrusters )

• A propeller located in a ship's bow to provide added

maneuverability, as when berthing or docking
• Large vessels usually have one or more tunnels built into the
bow below the waterline. An impeller in the tunnel can create
thrust in either direction which makes the ship turn. Most
tunnel thrusters are driven by electric motors, but some are
hydraulically powered. These bow thrusters, also known as
tunnel thrusters, may allow the ship to dock without the
assistance of tugboats, saving the costs of such service. Ships
equipped with tunnel thrusters typically have a sign above the
waterline over each thruster on both sides, a big white cross
in a red circle.
  •
 Parts of
Middle section
3. Parts of Middle section Bulwark:
• Protective structure with
a height of about one
meter on both sides of
the upper deck intended
to safeguard men from
falling overboard or
from waves washing
over the deck.
(Bulwarks consist of
bulwark plates, bulwark
stays and hand rails.)
Wash ports:
• Openings made in
bulwark plates for the
draining out of dirty
water from the deck.
They are also called deck
scuppers .
c. Hatch ways:
Openings in the deck for loading and/or discharging cargo.
d. Hatch coamings:
Structures around the hatch openings which give additional
rigidity.
e. Hatch covers:
It’s the cover which close the hatches.
f. Holds:
Spaces for the stowage of cargo.
G. Ventilators:
• Cylindrical tubes installed on deck for the ventilation of cargo holds and
cabins.
h. Masts:
• Upright posts on deck in which derricks are fitted, navigation lights and
telecommunication antennas.
I. Derrick:
• A swinging boom over or near a hatchway, supported by a topping lift and
controlled laterally by Guys.
j. Funnels:
• Is a device for exhausting and flow of gases into the
atmosphere. Funnel marks showing the ownership
of a vessel.
k. Engine room:
• Location where propulsion engines and other
auxiliary machinery are installed.
l. Stern watertight bulkheads:
• Transverse partitions consisting of plating connected
to the bottom plating and upper deck plating
intended to form watertight compartments.
m. Double bottom:
• Vessels' bottom structures with inner and outer
bottom plating used for restoring fuel and water.
n. Ballast tanks:
• Tanks-double bottom, deep, and peak-for carrying
water ballast.
O. Shaft tunnel:
• Tunnel between the engine-room and the stern frame for
protecting the propeller shaft (s).
p. Propeller Shaft:
• It is the shaft (bar) transmitting the propulsion from the
engine to the propeller. The Aftermost section of the shaft
carries the propeller, Also it is called tail shaft, screw shaft.
Q. Accommodation ladder:
• Ladders fitted on both sides of the vessel for embarkation
or disembarkation.
r. Portholes:
• Circular glass windows with blind plate inside, for lighting
and ventilation.
s. Skylights:
• Glass windows with frames in the ceilings of engine room
spaces for lighting and ventilation.
 4. Parts of After Section
a. Cofferdam:
An unused space between two bulkheads
separating adjacent compartments, usually fore &
aft of the engine room. In tankers, cargo spaces
are always isolated from other parts of the ship by
means of cofferdams.
b. Counter:
Curved portions of vessel's stern shell plating.
c. Fairleads:
Structure used for the easy handling of mooring
wires and ropes placed in the bulwark fore & aft
over the center line.
d. Handrails:
Wood or iron bars which protect men from falling
overboard.
e. Rudder:
A device for steering the vessel - It is placed behind the
propeller at the stern part of the ship and is connected to
steering wheel at the wheelhouse.
F. Propeller:
Made of bronze, placed aft of the ship to move the ship.
g. After peak tank:
The space between the after most transverse watertight
bulkhead and the stern frame - It used as a trimming or fresh-
water tank.
h. Keel:
The main centerline structural member running fore and aft
along the bottom of a ship. (Ship's backbone).
I. Mooring holes:
Oval holes in bulwark plating for mooring ropes.