Looking at certain ship photos caption it’s either you laugh or you cry. Most of the funniest shipping terms comes from the Media but when you see certain photographers that are involved in shipping photography you will say – Are you Serious ?? 🙂
CHARTERING is the term used to name the renting of a whole ship, in an agreement between a shipowner and a renting party, in this case known as charterer, intermediated by a freight forwarder or a shipbroker. The charterer is the individual or organization renting the ship. Though in Maltese language we use the word ‘MIKRI’ which means hire we don’t use the word hiring a ship though sometimes you see it.
COURTESY FLAG – A nation’s courtesy flag should be flown by all vessels when entering a nation’s territorial waters/harbours and for the duration of the stay in that country. The flag should be flown from the starboard spreader in a position above any other flag. Like many cases that happens in the Maltese Islands can anyone explain how a vessel homeported at Harlingen, Netherlands is flying a Maltese Maritime Flag ???? Apart from the torn Dutch flag which is a lack of respect
Or like most of the pleasure boats coming from Italian waters with Italian Flag still flying while entering Maltese Harbours/Territorial Waters !!!!
The Merchant Flag of Malta introduced by the Merchant Shipping Act (Cap.234) consists of a red field bordered in white, with a white Maltese 8 pointed cross in white of which all vessels homeported in Valletta therefore Maltese Flag (MLT) can fly it.
The flag should be flown from the starboard spreader in a position above any other flag. Motor vessels that do not have a dedicated signal halyard should fly the courtesy flag from a prominent position instead (e.g. the VHF aerial). The courtesy flag should be in a good state and of reasonable size as some officials take offense at yachts that fly a torn or tiny flag.
And the only vessels that are permitted to fly the National Flag as their ensign are Maltese Military Vessels.
BERTHING – Unfortunately this comes to all craziness of sayings in Malta especially when we don’t have any Docks to see a ship docked. We have wharves and any ship next to the wharf is berthed.
MOORED – Any kind of ships anchored with ropes to the shore like ships moored at Fishmarket Area/Bighi Bay/Grand Harbour Marina (GHM).
ANCHORED – Any kind of ships anchored with no ropes at her stern not like the below Media Mistake as I wonder to which pier she was moored in international waters –
