merchant vessel

基本解释

Five Somali pirates convicted of attacking a US Navy ship they mistook for a merchant vessel last November have been sentenced to life in prison, the BBC reported.
据英国广播公司报道，5名去年11月袭击美国海军舰船的索马里海盗被判处终生监禁。这些海盗当时误把军舰当成商船。
www.chinadaily.com.cn
The ship, 30.4m long and 9.8m wide, was built during the Song Dynasty. It is the oldest and the largest wrecked merchant vessel yet discovered, and the best preserved.
南海一号"长30.4米，宽9.8米，是迄今为止世界上发现的沉船中年代最早、船体最大、保存最完整的商船。
www.chinadaily.com.cn
After some digging, Marriott came across records which showed the Nord Deutsche Line, a German merchant vessel group, had a ship called the Reiher docked at the time of the murders.
经过深入调查，马里奥特发现了一些记录，案发时，一支名为“北德线”的商队恰恰将其商船“苍鹭”号停靠在港口。

It was a type of merchant vessel known as luxury liners or speed queens as they were once called.
FORBES: Do You Love Work More Than Your Wife? YES, Said Gibbs (Book Review)
This same status is indispensable for captains, pilots, masters, engineers, mechanics, and in general, for all personnel of the crew of any vessel or airship protected by the Mexican merchant flag or insignia.
CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Mexico's Glass House