Glossary


Terms & Glossaries of Shipping and Trading

Beam

Beam is the width of a vessel at the widest point, or a point alongside the ship at the mid-point of its length.

What is Beam?

Beam is the width of a vessel at the widest point, or a point alongside the ship at the mid-point of its length. It is a measure of the width of the ship. There are two types: Beam, Overall (BOA), commonly referred to simply as Beam - The overall width of the ship measured at the widest point of the nominal waterline. Beam on Centerline (BOC) - Used for multihull vessels.