History

• The original term for the left side of a ship was "larboard," but this term caused confusion because it sounded too much like "starboard," the nautical term for the right side of the ship.
  
  

Official Use

• The term was officially accepted by the British Royal Navy in 1844 and became the standard term for the left side of all merchant and cruise ships.
  
  

Marking

• The port side of a cruise ship is marked at night by a red navigation light.
  
  

Fun Fact

• The famous pictures of the Titanic, one of the most spectacular cruise ships to ever be built, leaving Southampton feature the port side of the ship.
  
  

Identification

• The buoys attached to the port side of a cruise ship are colored red. They must be lowered when the ship is docking or moving through shallow water.