Gangway

A gangway is the portable bridge or ramp giving safe access between a ship and the shore or another vessel, also called the brow or accommodation ladder when inclined. SOLAS Regulation II-1/3-9 and IMO Resolution MSC.61(67) (the means-of-access standard) require ships to carry an approved gangway or accommodation ladder fitted with handrails, intermediate platforms, and a safety net rigged beneath it. The word also names the opening in the bulwark or rail where people board. A watchkeeper, the gangway watch, controls access at the ship’s security level under the ISPS Code.