Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by manarth on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @03:15AM (#35625260)

> the channel and the buoy don't have port or starboard sides

In the context of a channel, the buoys (marks) are coded port and starboard, coloured red and green, and shaped like a can or a cone respectively.

When navigating a channel into harbour, the port marks are left to the port of the ship, and the starboard marks to starboard.

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by midasuni on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @03:40AM (#35625437)

Red right returning

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by manarth on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @06:28AM (#35626463)

A nice, solid, memorable rule, which works all the time. Just like "I before E except after C".

Except when weird species seize their feisty foreign neighbours.

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by roelschroeven on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @04:51AM (#35625909)

But be careful, because there are two configurations for lateral marks, called Region A and Region B, as defined by IALA.

In Region A (Europe, Greenland, Africa, most of Asia, most of Oceania) port marks are red and starboard marks are green.

In Region B (North and South America, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan) port marks are green and starboard marks are red.

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