Subscribe to our Mailing Lists (It's free!)
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
SAFETY4SEA
  • Home
  • Safety
    • All
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
    fobas

    Off specification sediment fuels found in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp region

    norwegian sun

    Cruise ship curtails cruise after ice hit

    bsee lessons learned

    Lessons learned: Improperly maintained fluids in well control equipment systems

    bsee lessons learned

    Lessons learned: Unsecured pressurized hoses result in hand injuries

  • Green
    • All
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
    port of rotterdam

    Green hydrogen import terminal to be developed in Rotterdam

    acua ocean

    Autonomous hydrogen-fueled MASS gets approval

    Motorboat Collides With Barge Tow

    Research center in Saudi Arabia to use AI for development of low-carbon solutions

    fso safer

    Watch: UN coordinator calls public to help in “FSO Safer” emergency operation funding

  • Smart
    • All
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
    acua ocean

    Autonomous hydrogen-fueled MASS gets approval

    Motorboat Collides With Barge Tow

    Research center in Saudi Arabia to use AI for development of low-carbon solutions

    remotely piloted aircrafts

    Iceland uses EMSA’s drones for better maritime situational awareness

    carnival cyber security

    Carnival Corporation fined $5M for failed cyber-security protections

  • Risk
    • All
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Focus
    master first officer fined

    Master, First Officer to pay $75,000 for compliance breach in Great Barrier Reef

    carnival cyber security

    Carnival Corporation fined $5M for failed cyber-security protections

    yang ming hmm

    US shipper accuses Yang Ming and HMM of collusion

    paris mou

    Paris MoU refuses access to ship after skipping Ukrainian repair call because of waiting time

  • Others
    • All
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Reports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
    us stops tanker

    US stops to check tanker arriving from Russia

    shipping costs

    UNCTAD: Ukraine war increases shipping costs

    port of rotterdam

    Green hydrogen import terminal to be developed in Rotterdam

    fso safer

    Watch: UN coordinator calls public to help in “FSO Safer” emergency operation funding

  • Columns
    New requirements for vessels arriving in the port of Singapore during COVID-19

    A changing role of insurers in bunker contamination cases

    Microplastics: tiny plastic, big problem

    Marine plastic pollution – will nurdles be classified under the IMDG code?

    declaration of dangerous goods

    Tech checks proper declaration of dangerous goods

    Trending Tags

    • Career Paths
    • Industry Voices
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
  • Events
  • Plus
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Safety
    • All
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
    fobas

    Off specification sediment fuels found in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp region

    norwegian sun

    Cruise ship curtails cruise after ice hit

    bsee lessons learned

    Lessons learned: Improperly maintained fluids in well control equipment systems

    bsee lessons learned

    Lessons learned: Unsecured pressurized hoses result in hand injuries

  • Green
    • All
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
    port of rotterdam

    Green hydrogen import terminal to be developed in Rotterdam

    acua ocean

    Autonomous hydrogen-fueled MASS gets approval

    Motorboat Collides With Barge Tow

    Research center in Saudi Arabia to use AI for development of low-carbon solutions

    fso safer

    Watch: UN coordinator calls public to help in “FSO Safer” emergency operation funding

  • Smart
    • All
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
    acua ocean

    Autonomous hydrogen-fueled MASS gets approval

    Motorboat Collides With Barge Tow

    Research center in Saudi Arabia to use AI for development of low-carbon solutions

    remotely piloted aircrafts

    Iceland uses EMSA’s drones for better maritime situational awareness

    carnival cyber security

    Carnival Corporation fined $5M for failed cyber-security protections

  • Risk
    • All
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Focus
    master first officer fined

    Master, First Officer to pay $75,000 for compliance breach in Great Barrier Reef

    carnival cyber security

    Carnival Corporation fined $5M for failed cyber-security protections

    yang ming hmm

    US shipper accuses Yang Ming and HMM of collusion

    paris mou

    Paris MoU refuses access to ship after skipping Ukrainian repair call because of waiting time

  • Others
    • All
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Reports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
    us stops tanker

    US stops to check tanker arriving from Russia

    shipping costs

    UNCTAD: Ukraine war increases shipping costs

    port of rotterdam

    Green hydrogen import terminal to be developed in Rotterdam

    fso safer

    Watch: UN coordinator calls public to help in “FSO Safer” emergency operation funding

  • Columns
    New requirements for vessels arriving in the port of Singapore during COVID-19

    A changing role of insurers in bunker contamination cases

    Microplastics: tiny plastic, big problem

    Marine plastic pollution – will nurdles be classified under the IMDG code?

    declaration of dangerous goods

    Tech checks proper declaration of dangerous goods

    Trending Tags

    • Career Paths
    • Industry Voices
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
  • Events
  • Plus
No Result
View All Result
SAFETY4SEA

Do you know why is a ship called she?

by The Editorial Team
April 1, 2019
in Maritime Knowledge
scottish maritime sector

Above image is used for illustration purposes only

FacebookTwitterEmailLinkedin

English grammar says we use ‘it’ to refer to things, while ‘he’ and ‘she’ are personal pronouns and should only be used for people. However, language has it to use ‘she’ when we refer to ships and boats, something that has its roots in the very old times. “Ships are referred to as ‘she’ because men love them” or “like a woman, a ship is unpredictable”, tradition used to say. But seriously, what is lagging behind this language idiom?

The ship as a feminine noun was firstly seen when shipping made its emergence to the world, which means from the early 18th century, when it was more than normal only for men to be onboard ships. A traditional prose existing till today used a sexist approach to justify this:

“It takes an experienced man to handle her correctly and without a man at the helm, she is absolutely uncontrollable,”

or

“Love her, take good care of her, and she shall take good care of you,”

But, in view of the global discussion on gender equality over the last century, we can understand that these explanations constitute at least a superstition and this encompasses far more than just that. Even if we accepted this explanation from a linguistic point of view, we cannot overlook the fact that ships are not uncontrollable anymore!

RelatedNews

Do you know what CII stands for?

Do you know what EU Taxonomy is?

As such, we attempted to provide a series of possible alternative justifications:

  1. Technically, the idea is that we use ‘he’ or ‘she’ when the subject of the sentence relates to people and ‘it’ when the subject relates to animals or things. However, when the relationship with the subject is personal, it is extremely common to use ‘he’ or ‘she’ for animals, depending on their gender, or even inanimate objects. In this regard, sailors, who have been traditionally men in this male-dominated industry over the years, may have established referring to their vessels as ‘she’.

2. Another explanation possibly lies in the traditional ties to religion and the idea of goddesses and mother figures playing a protective role in looking after a ship and crew. In this respect, we often see ships named after feminine names. Christopher Columbus’ ship, one of the most famous ships in history which sailed the Atlantic, was called “La Santa Maria”, named after the Virgin Mary.

3. If we want to take a look strictly linguistically, this lingual peculiarity can be possibly traced to the fact that the gender of the Latin word for “ship” — Navis — is feminine.

However, the most possible scenario explaining this phenomenon is a combination of the above: The ‘ship as she’ is a linguistic habit as a leftover from tradition, a reflection of a world which saw women as a mystery of the world, like Mother Earth and Mother Nature, someone whose purpose and utility is to carry life on the one hand, but ‘needs a man to handle her’ on the other.

GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!

Needless to say, the ‘ship as a she’ phenomenon has been in steady decline, with many shipping registries and journalistic sites calling ships ‘it’ for years now.

Namely, Cambridge dictionary also says we usually use ‘it’ to refer to countries, vehicles and machines, and that although some traditional styles have it using ‘she’, “this is now considered inappropriate by many people”.

In any case, personifying an object either in the male or the female form, both linguistically and symbolically, maybe now something of an anachronism, taking into consideration all the social fights for eliminating the tendency of self-defining by gender.

 

DO YOU KNOW?: Read in this series

icct aleutian islands

Do you know what CII stands for?

June 27, 2022
Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance

Do you know what EU Taxonomy is?

June 27, 2022
fueleu

Do you know what methane slip is?

May 12, 2022
general average

Do you know what General Average means?

May 10, 2022
eunavfor

Do you know where the food you eat comes from?

April 21, 2022
nato v group

Do you know what FOC are?

March 28, 2022
Do you know what the Northern Sea Route is?

Do you know what the Northern Sea Route is?

March 24, 2022
Do you know why a ship’s bow thruster is vital?

Do you know why a ship’s bow thruster is vital?

March 2, 2022
ipcc

Do you know what Poseidon Principles stand for?

February 14, 2022
iumi ig clubs

Do you know why P&I Clubs are vital for shipping?

December 30, 2021
singapore border measures

Do you know what GT and DWT measure in a ship?

November 10, 2021
ship

Do you know what ships apply SOLAS?

October 29, 2021
low draft limits barranquilla

12 nautical terms to know

October 22, 2021
under keel clearance

Do you know what under keel clearance is? 

October 8, 2021
sire 2.0

Do you know how ship propulsion has changed?

June 1, 2021
NATO phonetic alphabet

Do you know what NATO phonetic alphabet is?

November 24, 2020
gmdss

Do you know what GMDSS stands for?

October 22, 2020
us cruise ships

Do you know what cold ironing is?

October 5, 2020
Do you know what the bulbous bow is for?

Do you know what the bulbous bow is for?

February 6, 2020
Ship Security Alert System

Do you know what a Ship Security Alert System is?

January 22, 2020
Authorized Service Providers

Do you know how many types of lifeboats exist?

January 17, 2020
flush the toilet

Do you know what happens after you flush the toilet on a ship?

January 16, 2020
master alternative quay

Do you know how many ranks and duties exist onboard? 

December 20, 2019
types of ships

Do you know how many types of ships exist?

December 4, 2019
bimco world fleet

Do you know why IMO number is important for vessels?

December 3, 2019
solas

Do you know when to abandon a ship?

December 3, 2019
panama neptune declaration

Do you know how to distinguish an Aframax from a Panamax vessel?

November 21, 2019
bunkering

Do you know what a Bunker Delivery Note includes?

November 20, 2019
emissions from ships

Do you know why FONAR is needed from 2020 and onwards?

October 23, 2019
Plimsoll lines

Do you know what Plimsoll lines on ships are?

October 17, 2019
ships are red

Do you know why ships are red on bottom?

October 16, 2019
starboard

Why do ships use ‘port’ and ‘starboard’ and not ‘left’ or ‘right’

August 18, 2019
pandemic seafarers

Inert Gas onboard: Key safety precautions

May 10, 2019
scottish maritime sector

Do you know why is a ship called she?

April 1, 2019

 

GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!

Tags: Do you knowMaripediavideoswomen in shipping

Comments 3

  1. Cameron Tallach says:
    2 years ago

    Have we lost the humour that allows men and women to tease one another with reference to their gender?

    Reply
  2. Alexandros says:
    1 year ago

    Hi. I am a seafarer and I would really like to know why in all Cargo ships at least, tankers bulks, etc all berths ( bed) are aligned longitudinal fore to aft with the head to fore.
    I would appreciate a lot your response.

    Reply
    • Kenneth Arntzen says:
      10 months ago

      One tanker I sailed on had a thwart ship bunk and it was extremely uncomfortable when the ship rolled. Blood rushing to head then to feet. Fore and aft is a side to side motion with the roll.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

us stops tanker

US stops to check tanker arriving from Russia

June 29, 2022
shipping costs

UNCTAD: Ukraine war increases shipping costs

June 29, 2022
MARITIME EVENTS

Newsletter

GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!

Explore

  • Safety
  • Green
  • Smart
  • Risk
  • Others
  • Events
  • Plus

Useful Links

  • About
  • Disclaimer
  • Editorial Policies
  • Advertising
  • Contact

© 2021 SAFETY4SEA

No Result
View All Result
  • Safety
    • Alerts
    • Accidents
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
  • Green
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
  • Smart
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
  • Risk
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
  • Others
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Reports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
  • Columns
    • Opinions
    • Career Paths
    • Industry Voices
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
  • Events
  • Plus

© 2021 SAFETY4SEA

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Disclaimer.