PACIFIC RIM TRADE : All Aboard

Bridge: a raised structure on a ship from which it is controlled while underway.

Bulkhead: an upright partition separating parts of a ship for protection against fire or leakage.

Cofferdam: an empty space serving as a protective barrier between two compartments of a tanker.

Deadweight tonnage: a ship’s carrying capacity in long tons.

Displacement tonnage: a ship’s carrying capacity in long tons.

Displacement tons: a unit for measuring displacement of ships, equal to 35 cubic feet, about equal to a long ton of seawater.

TEUs: Twenty-foot Equivalent Units, the volume of a typical 8x8x20-foot container; an 8x8x40-foot container, a boxcar, equals 2 TEUs.

Forecastle: (pronounced FOHK suhl) the upper deck forward of the foremast, where crew’s quarters are located; forecastle began as a raised platform on the prow from which marines could fire arrows and stones at enemy ships.

Hold: the interior of a ship below deck in which cargo is carried.

Foremast: the mast nearest the bow of a ship.

Long ton: equal to 2,240 pounds (1,016.06 kilograms), commonly used in Britain.

Metric ton: equal to 2,204.62 pounds (1,000 kilograms).

Poop deck: a raised deck at the stern.

Short ton: equal to 2,000 pounds (907.18 kilograms), commonly used in U.S.

Water ballast: extra weight in an empty cargo ship, usually seawater, that keeps it steady;as cargo is loaded, water is pumped out, so the water ballast weight corresponds to the cargo weight.

Sources: World Book, Lloyd’s Shipping Register, Port of LA.