SEA TRANSPORT Historical perspective: The first boats Nobody knows exactly when people first started using

craft to travel on water, but it must have been tens of thousands of years ago. The first craft were probably extremely simple just a log, an inflated animal skin, or a bundle of reeds tied together. People discovered that craft like these could help them to cross a stretch of water more easily. These craft probably developed into early simple boats, such as dug-out canoes and skin-covered boats, in which a person could sit while fishing or travelling along a river. The basic designs are still in use in many areas of the world today and have many advantages over modern boats. Facts: A dug-out canoe is made by hollowing out a thick tree trunk to leave a thin wooden hull. The hull is smoothed and shaped so that it moves easily through the water. In 1970, Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl built a large Egyptian-style reed boat called Ra II. He sailed it from Africa to the Caribbean. This proved the Egyptians would have been able to reach America more than 4,000 years ago. The age of sail Sails capture the wind and use it to push ships and boats along. Sails first appeared on ships on the river Nile in about 3500BC. These ships had one simple square sail on a single mast. They were only useful when the wind was blowing in the same direction that the crew of the ship wanted to go. Viking boats in the AD600s used square sails to sail the coasts of Scandinavia. In the Middle Ages, the lateen (triangular) sail allowed ships to be sailed with the wind from the side. This type of sail was invented by the Chinese and Arabs. From the 1100s, European sailors began building fully rigged ships with a combination of square and lateen sails. This allowed them to make the maximum use of the wind. Steam power The first steam engines were developed in the early 1700s for pumping water out of the mines. By the end of the century they had become small and engineers began to use them in trains and ships. Steam power meant that a ship could keep going even if the wind was in the wrong direction. Early steamships used paddles, but propellers gradually proved to be more efficient. After the 1850s, shipbuilders began to use iron instead of wood. The superior strength of iron meant that much larger ships could be built, which could also be fitted with more powerful steam engines. Facts: The first craft to use steam power was a small river boat called the Charlotte Dundas, launched in 1802. Ship Power There are many different ways of propelling boats and ships through the water. The most basic, such as rowing and paddling, are human- powered. Today they are only used in small vessels. Sails harness the natural power of the wind to propel a boat or a ship. Engines convert the energy stored in fuel into the movement of a propeller. As the propeller spins, its blades force water to rush backwards, which thrusts the boat or ship forwards. Most engines used in boats and ships are diesel engines. Other types of marine engine are petrol engines, gas turbine engines and steam turbine engines. Other craft, such as hovercraft, have aircraft-like propellers. Facts: In 1845, two ships, one with a propeller and one with paddlewheels, fought a war. The battle was to find the most efficient. The propeller easily won.

VOCABULARY Craft = ambarcatiune Bundle of reeds = snop de stuf Stretch of water = intindere de apa Hollow out (to) = a scobi Hull = corpul, coca navei Dug-out canoe = piroga, luntre din trunchi scobit Sail = panza de corabie, vela Mast = catarg Rigged ships = nava cu velatura Steam = abur Steamship = vapor cu abur Paddle = zbat, padela Propeller = elice Harness (to) = a intensifica Spin (to) = a se roti Blade = pala de elice,paleta de turbina Thrust (to) = a impinge Hovercraft = ambarcatiune pe perna de aer PORT DESCRIPTION What is a port? A port is a place where goods, passengers and mail are transferred to, from, or between carriers of the same or different modes. Ships and cargo move cargo and people from one place to another place, so they need ports where ships they can load and unload. Every port has areas called docks where ships tie up along the quayside. The docks are often inside an area of water called a harbour, which is protected from the sea by a massive stone wall or natural cliffs. On the docks there are huge cranes for unloading the ships and warehouses for storing cargo. In the port area there may be ship repair yards, parts shops and customs offices. Until recently, large numbers of people were employed as dockers and many major coastal towns and cities have grown up around ports. But the increased use of containers has dramatically reduced the number of workers. Huge merchant ships now dock at purpose-built ports or terminals, which are specially designed for handling cargoes, such as containers, oil and gas. Tying up. Berthing ropes hooked over bollards are used to tie ships to the quayside. Quays may also be known as wharves. The pilot. The entrance to a harbour is often narrow and busy. It may also have treacherous shallow areas such as sandbanks outside it. A pilot is a person who knows the harbour well. He or she always takes control of large ships to guide them as they enter and leave the port. High and dry. Repair and maintenance facilities in port may include a dry dock. Scaffolding is erected to keep the ship upright. Unloading in port. Dockside cranes unload ships in the port. The crane can be moved along the dockside on railway tracks.

 Facts: A marina is a small harbour area where leisure craft such as motorboats and sailing yachts tie up. Marinas are usually separate from the normal harbour. They are also common on coasts where there are few natural harbours for small boats to shelter in. each bay, called a berth, in a marina has water and electricity supplies. Port location. The location of a port is a major consideration with regard to its economic functions. Geographers consider location in terms of site and situation. Site refers to the characteristics of the area occupied by the port; situation refers to the relations of the port location to the hinterland and to overseas or forelands with which the port has connections. What is the difference between a port and a harbour? Nearly all ports include portions of one or more harbours; a harbour may serve a single port, as in the case of a large harbour (San Francisco Bay), several ports, or several harbours may serve one port (London, Chicago, Sydney). VOCABULARY Load (to) = a incarca Unload (to) = a descarca Tie up (to) = a lega Quay = chei Crane = macara Warehouse = depozit Shipyard = santier naval Handle (to) = a manevra, a manipula Hook (to)= a indoi, a incovoia Bollard = bolard, baba, binta Wharf/-ves = chei, debarcader, ponton Treacherous = inselator, nesigur Shallow area = zona cu apa mica Maintenance = intretinere Scaffolding = schelarie Railway track = sina de cale ferata Shelter = adapost Berth = dana Leisure craft = ambarcatiune de agrement Hinterland = regiune situata in interior (dincolo de tarm sau de granita) Foreland = cap, promontoriu Site = loc, amplasament