A pontoon (Chinese: dǔn chuán) is a rectangular, flat-bottomed, non-self-propelled vessel without a propulsion system. It is usually fixed to the shore and serves as a "floating dock" for ships to berth, allowing passengers to embark and disembark, and goods to be loaded and unloaded.
Originally, pontoons were typically forty to fifty meters long, or even over a hundred meters, with three or four decks including the hold, rising twenty to thirty meters above the water surface, truly a "giant" on the water. They were fully equipped with facilities for storage, trade, and living quarters. These pontoons on the water complemented the islands, creating a harmonious interplay between land and sea.
Pontoons are mostly used as connecting platforms for boarding and disembarking ships, for cargo transfer, or as ferries. Because they usually lack propulsion systems, they require tugboats or other external forces to move. Pontoons specifically used for cargo transfer are equipped with cranes to lift cargo from ships that cannot dock and transfer it to the pier.
