Tender

Category: maritime

A small boat used to ferry passengers from the ship to shore when the vessel is anchored too far to dock.

Tendering occurs when a port is too small, too shallow, or too busy to accommodate the cruise ship directly. The ship drops anchor in the harbor, and the ship’s lifeboats or local shuttle boats act as "tenders" to shuttle guests to the land-based pier.

Common Examples

• Because the bay was too shallow for the large vessel, we had to take a tender boat to reach the historic village harbor.
• Tendering processes are weather-dependent; high sea swells can force the captain to cancel the port of call for safety reasons.