Tonnage

Tonnage refers to the weight of a ship or boat. It's like how we talk about how heavy a person is, except with boats and ships.

Tonnage is measured in tons, which is a unit of weight. But it's not always the same as the tons we talk about with food or toys or other things. There are different types of tons that can be used with ships and boats.

One type of ton is called the "gross tonnage." This is the total weight of the ship or boat itself, without any cargo or people on it. It includes things like the engines, the hull, the decks, and other parts of the ship.

Another type of ton is called the "net tonnage." This is the weight of the ship or boat minus some of the items that aren't really part of the ship, like navigational equipment and crew quarters.

So, when we say that a ship is a certain tonnage, we are usually talking about its gross tonnage. This can help us understand how big the ship is and how much it can carry. A bigger ship will have a higher tonnage than a smaller ship, because it will weigh more.

So, that's the basic idea of tonnage - it's a way to measure the weight of a ship or boat.