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Maritime English

Chapter · January 2013

DOI: 10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0746

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Ana Bocanegra-Valle
Universidad de Cádiz
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 Maritime English
ANA BOCANEGRA-VALLE

Maritime English is an umbrella term which refers to the English language used by seafarers
both at sea and in port and by individuals working in the shipping and shipbuilding
industry. Maritime English lies in the domain of workplace English. Merchant ships (and
auxiliary craft) are used in the name of today’s global trade to facilitate the worldwide
haulage of freight among distant locations and the movement of passengers where other
modes of transport are not appropriate, possible, or even cost-effective. Ships’ crews and
shipping-industry personnel are necessary to conduct a ship (and passengers aboard) safely
to destination and deliver commodities efficiently while, at the same time, protecting the
marine environment and safeguarding the financial interests of all relevant parties and
stakeholders. The shipping trade is, by its very nature, a global phenomenon that evolves
within a globalized economic and political framework and the involvement of many
different countries, languages, and cultures in just one operation is common practice. The
Sea Empress, for instance, a ship that polluted the Welsh coast causing severe environ-
mental damage, was built in Spain, had a Norwegian owner, was registered in Cyprus,
was managed from Glasgow, was chartered by a French company, had a Russian crew,
was flying a Liberian flag, and carried American cargo. It is this background that has led
Maritime English to gain worldwide recognition as the international language of seaborne
trade employing internationally oriented individuals who need to be fluent in English for
communicating successfully while on board and ashore.

Language Distinctiveness

Maritime English terminology and phraseology pose a real challenge due to their specializa-
tion and unfamiliarity: Passengers sleep in cabins and meals are cooked in the galley; a ship
does not have walls but bulkheads; smoke comes out of a funnel not a chimney; objects are
not positioned left or right but on the port or starboard sides; ships make headway, sternway,
or leeway when they move forwards, backwards, or sideways through the water; and when
underway they may be overhauled, not overtaken, by faster craft. Orders such as Single up
to a backspring forward, Put engines slow ahead, Rudder hard-a-port, Slack away on the breastline
until the stern is clear of the berth or Let go fore and aft, require not only good professionals
but competent Maritime English speakers if a ship is to be handled efficiently. Noteworthy
is the peculiarity of ships to have feminine grammatical gender for seafarers (an in-service
mariner would always call a ship she), which remains one of the most distinctive features
of the English language as currently used at sea.

The Branches of Maritime English

Maritime English subsumes five different subvarieties according to the specific purpose
they serve within the maritime context: English for navigation and maritime communications,
English for maritime commerce, English for maritime law, English for marine engineering,
and English for shipbuilding.

The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, Edited by Carol A. Chapelle.

© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published 2013 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0746

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