Nautical Term: Amidships
Definition of Amidships
(1) Amidships refers to the midpoint or approximate centerline of a vessel, lying equidistant between the port and starboard sides. (2) More specifically, amidships can also denote the midway point between the forward and aft perpendiculars, which are imaginary lines perpendicular to the keel or centerline of the vessel.
For instance, if the cargo on a container ship is not evenly distributed, the ship’s master may order the crew to move some of the containers to amidships in order to maintain the vessel’s stability.
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