(aftward) toward the back/rear/stern/afterend of the ship
BALLAST
heavy material (eg seawater, concrete or iron) usually placed in the base of a ship for achieving stability or to secure greatest possible economy of propelling power
BOW
fore-end of ship or boat
BREAK BULK
general cargo conventionally stowed, as opposed to containerised cargo.
BUNKERING
loading of fuel oil into the ship's fuel tank to keep its engines going, in the same way as a car pulls into a petrol station to refuel
COCKBURN SOUND
named by Captain James Stirling after George Cockburn, later Sir George Cockburn, G.C.B., a Junior Lord of the Admiralty who fought in the Napoleonic Wars
CONTAINER SHIPS
carry goods of all kinds packed in metal containers. These metal containers are rectangular in shape, like giant shoeboxes, six to 12 metres in length. They have doors that open at the end and are designed to allow a forklift to be driven inside to load or unload goods. Wooden pallets (square platforms which can be lifted easily by forklifts) are often used to stack the goods inside the containers. Manufacturers load their finished goods (anything from perfume to electronic products) into containers. If goods are frozen, they are loaded into refrigerated containers called "reefers"
The containers are then delivered to the wharf for loading onto the container ship by means of large portainer cranes
Containerisation of cargo began in the mid-1950s and saves shippers money by reducing labour costs and reducing the risk of damage to cargoes
DEADWEIGHT TONNAGE (D.W.T)
Weight in tonnes of cargo, stores fuel, passengers and crew carried by the ship when loaded to her maximum summer load (Plimsoll) line.
DEMURRAGE
Compensation payable to the owner or operator for a ship delayed beyond a certain time limit.
DISTANCES
the statute mile used on land is 5,280 feet, whereas the nautical mile used exclusively at sea is 6,080 feet or 1.15 statute miles The kilometre is 3,280 feet or 0.63 of a statute mile and the kilometre is 0.54 nautical mile.
FORE
(forward) toward the front/bow/front end of ship
GAGE ROADS
named by Captain James Stirling in 1827 after Rear Admiral W. Gage, who was Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy's East Indies Station when Stirling was surveying the Swan River. Road in this sense is an abbreviation of roadstead (means searoad), a stretch of water near shore in which ships can ride at anchor
GROSS TONNAGE
the total of all enclosed spaces within a ship, expressed in tons each of which is equivalent to 100 cubic feet.
NAUTICAL MILE
1852.3 metres
PILOTAGE SERVICES
pilotage is compulsory in the Port of Fremantle for all ships over 150 gross registered tons with an exception being made for some coastal and interstate ships. This service is available 24 hours a day. A pilot is responsible for bringing the ship safely to its nominated berth. The pilot flag (white over red) is not shown by ships. Ships show code flag "H" which is halved vertically white and red.
PLIMSOLL LINE
is a safe-load mark required on all ships. It assures the vessel is not loaded beyond its safe point of buoyancy. The Plimsoll mark is painted on each side of the hull amidships (middle part of the ship)
PORT
(colour red) is the left side of a ship/boat looking forward (fore)
RO-RO SHIP
roll on/roll off ships have a stern or side opening. Forklifts are used to drive containers up ramps. Ro-Ro ships also carry cars and heavy machinery
SIGNAL STATION
situated on top of Fremantle Ports Administration Building, is the control centre for many of the Port's shipping activities and is operated 24-hours a day
STARBOARD
(green) is the right side of a ship/boat looking forward (fore)
STERN
back-end of ship or boat (aft)
TIDE
the rise and fall of ocean waters, on a definite time schedule. Both the sun and the moon exert a gravitational pull on the earth. Fremantle Port has very little tidal range (the difference between high water and low water). It is usually less than a metre
TUGBOAT
strongly built, small tonnage vessel especially designed for towing
WHARFAGE
Levy on all goods loaded or unloaded from a wharf, charged at a rate per cubic metre or rate per tonne
WIND SPEED
is expressed as knots per hour. To convert knots to kilometres per hour, multiply the number of knots by 1.84
Glossary
