Supercargo
Encyclopedia
Supercargo is a term in maritime law
(adapted from the Spanish
sobrecargo, one over or in charge of a cargo) that refers to a person employed on board a vessel by the owner of cargo
carried on the ship
. The duties of a supercargo include managing the cargo owner's trade, selling the merchandise at the port
s to which the vessel is sailing, and buying and receiving goods to be carried on the return voyage.
He or she has control of the cargo unless limited by his contract or other agreement. For instance, the supercargo has no authority over the stevedore
s and he has no role in the necessary preparatory work prior to the handling of cargo. Because a supercargo sails from port to port with the vessel to which he is attached, he differs from a factor, who has a fixed place of residence at a port or other trading place.
supercargo for the Karankawa
Indian trade.
Admiralty law
Admiralty law is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. It is a body of both domestic law governing maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between private entities which operate vessels on the oceans...
(adapted from the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
sobrecargo, one over or in charge of a cargo) that refers to a person employed on board a vessel by the owner of cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
carried on the ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
. The duties of a supercargo include managing the cargo owner's trade, selling the merchandise at the port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
s to which the vessel is sailing, and buying and receiving goods to be carried on the return voyage.
He or she has control of the cargo unless limited by his contract or other agreement. For instance, the supercargo has no authority over the stevedore
Stevedore
Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
s and he has no role in the necessary preparatory work prior to the handling of cargo. Because a supercargo sails from port to port with the vessel to which he is attached, he differs from a factor, who has a fixed place of residence at a port or other trading place.
Supercargo in history
In 1818, Jean Laffite appointed Jao de la PortaJao de la Porta
João da Porta , along with his older brother Morin, was a Portuguese Jewish merchant important in the early settlement of the Texan coast....
supercargo for the Karankawa
Karankawa
Karankawa were a group of Native American peoples, now extinct as a tribal group, who played a pivotal part in early Texas history....
Indian trade.
In literature
- Supercargo is a character in Ralph EllisonRalph EllisonRalph Waldo Ellison was an American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison is best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953...
's Invisible ManInvisible ManInvisible Man is a novel written by Ralph Ellison, and the only one that he published during his lifetime . It won him the National Book Award in 1953...
. He is described as a large African-American male who works as an orderlyOrderlyA medical orderly , is a hospital attendant whose job consists of assisting medical and/or nursing staff with various nursing and/or medical interventions. These duties are classified as routine tasks involving no risk for the patient.- Job details :Orderlies are often utilized in various hospital...
. Supercargo watches over African American World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veterans who were traumatized by the stresses of warPost-traumatic stress disorderPosttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
. - In Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
's Treasure IslandTreasure IslandTreasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book on May 23, 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island; or, the...
, Long John SilverLong John SilverLong John Silver is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Silver is also known by the nicknames "Barbecue" and the "Sea-Cook".- Profile :...
refers to the main character as having 'slept like a supercargo.' - In Alexandre Dumas, pèreAlexandre Dumas, pèreAlexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
's The Count of Monte CristoThe Count of Monte CristoThe Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is often considered to be, along with The Three Musketeers, Dumas's most popular work. He completed the work in 1844...
, Danglars is supercargo of the ship of which Edmond becomes captain. - In many of Louis Becke's Pacific Tales (1897), the supercargo Denison is the observer or hearer of the tale.
- Myron Tany is the Supercargo in Ports of CallPorts of CallPorts of Call is a science fiction adventure novel by Jack Vance, the first of a duology along with its sequel Lurulu. It follows a young man named Myron Tany on a picaresque journey through the Gaean Reach.-Plot summary:...
by Jack VanceJack VanceJohn Holbrook Vance is an American mystery, fantasy and science fiction author. Most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance. Vance has published 11 mysteries as John Holbrook Vance and 3 as Ellery Queen...
. - In Captain Kidd and the Slave GirlCaptain Kidd and the Slave GirlCaptain Kidd and the Slave Girl is a 1954 Action-adventure film about a woman who disguises herself as a slave girl in order to try to gain information from Captain Kidd about his hidden treasure. The film was directed by Lew Landers, and stars Anthony Dexter, Eva Gabor, and Alan Hale Jr.....
, Eva Gabor is introduced to the Supercargo and asks what a Supercargo does. It is then explained to her. - In Anne McCaffreyAnne McCaffreyAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
’s Crystal SingerCrystal SingerThe Crystal Singer , or Crystal Singer is a science fiction, young-adult novel by Anne McCaffrey. It is a fix-up of four stories published 1974 and 1975 and is the first book set in her "Crystal universe"...
, Pendel is the Supercargo aboard the Trundimoux Cruiser, who provides assistance to Heptite Guild Member Killashandra Ree.