lightering

1 9.3

Moving cargo from a large ship to smaller ships to reduce weight for entering shallow ports

noun
/ˈlaɪtərɪŋ/

Specialized

: transbordo

During the storm, lightering became necessary to reduce the vessel's weight and prevent it from capsizing.

Examples

Many ships require lightering in shallow waters.
The crew began lightering the oil tanker to reduce its draft for safe passage.
Because the harbor was too shallow, lightering was required before the vessel could dock.
Efficient lightering operations helped the port handle larger ships than usual.
The lightering process was crucial for the ship's safe arrival.
The crew conducted lightering to unload some cargo and enable the ship to enter the shallow port safely.
To access the harbor, the ship underwent lightering to transfer excess cargo to a smaller boat.

Synonyms

transshipment

vslightering

Specialized

2 7.0

Moving goods from one ship or truck to another during their journey

is aimed at reducing vessel weight to allow entry into shallow ports

lighterage

vslightering

Specialized

9.9

Money paid to move goods by a small flat boat between ship and shore

is the transfer to reduce a vessel's weight so it can enter shallow ports

reshipment

vslightering

Specialized

4.8

Sending goods again by moving them to another ship or carrier

is done specifically to lower a ship's weight so it can enter shallow ports

Surface Forms

lightering singular

lighterings plural

Morphology

lightering = lighter (opaque) = light + er + ing

The form is transparently built with '-ing', but the shipping sense of 'lighter' is specialized and not guessable for an average learner from the component words alone.

Etymology

Lightering comes from the small boats called lighter that move cargo off a big ship, and that name comes from light meaning 'not heavy'. So lightering is the act of taking goods off a vessel to make it 'lighter' so the ship can enter shallow ports.