Harbourmaster

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Harbour Master’s transport at Poole, Dorset, England

A harbourmaster (or harbormaster, see spelling differences) is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the orderly operation of the port facilities.

A harbourmaster may either be a civilian or a commissioned naval officer of any rank. In the United Kingdom, when a Royal Navy officer serves in this capacity at a Naval port, s/he is known as the Queen's (or King's) Harbourmaster, and is entitled to fly a white-bordered Union Jack with a white central disc bearing the initials "QHM" (or "KHM" during the reign of a King) beneath a crown.

In the United States, the Captain of the Port, a United States Coast Guard officer, is responsible for these duties in a pre-defined Captain of the Port zone which usually includes multiple ports and waterways leading to those ports, usually in Federal waters. A Captain of the Port is not normally considered to be a harbourmaster, as harbourmasters in the United States (as elsewhere) are usually local government officials responsible for safety and security in a harbour.