Why Is the Lower Hull Painted Red?為什么船底要漆成紅色？

When large ships carry a lot of cargo， they sit quite low in the water. However， if a ship is empty， you’ll likely be able to see its lower hull， which will probably be painted red. There are several reasons why special paint of this color is used for marine vessels.

當大型船只乘載許多貨物時，它們在水中會吃水相當深。然而，如果船只是空的，你可能會看到船身的下半部，它大概會被漆成紅色。有幾個原因可以解釋為什么海洋船只要使用這種顏色的特殊涂料。

First and foremost， the red paint shields the underside of the ship. If left unprotected， the hull will eventually become covered with marine organisms such as barnacles， algae and mollusks， which will cause damage to the metal in the long run. Red marine paint gets its red color from copper oxide. This material acts as a biocide， a chemical compound that repels and prevents the growth of organisms. In addition， the paint guards the metal of the hull against corrosion from salt water， which can greatly weaken the structure and cause leaks.

首先，紅色涂料保護著船的底部。如果不受保護，船底最終將會被像是藤壺、藻類和軟體動物等海洋生物所覆蓋，長此以往會對金屬造成損壞。紅色海洋涂料中的紅色來自氧化銅。這種原料起著生物滅殺劑的作用——一種驅趕并防止生物生長的化學化合物。此外，該涂料能保護船底的金屬免受鹽水的腐蝕，這種腐蝕可能會大大地使結構松動并導致漏水。

Another reason for the red color is to indicate a vessel’s load status. The more the red paint is visible above the waterline， the lighter the load is. Having the hull painted red can also be helpful in case of an emergency by increasing a ship’s visibility. If a ship has capsized or is sinking， the red color of the hull contrasts with the blue or green color of the water. This gives other ships or rescue aircrafts a better chance of locating it.

使用紅色的另一個原因是要顯示船只的載荷狀態。在吃水線以上可見的紅色涂料越多，表示該船的負載越輕。將船底漆成紅色在緊急情況下也很有幫助，可以增加船只的能見度。如果一艘船傾覆或正在下沉，船底的紅色會與藍色或綠色的海水形成對比，這提高了其他船只或救援飛機找到它的機會。

An underlying historical tradition further contributes to the preference for the color red. With its origins dating back over 2，000 years and popularity to this day， we are likely to continue seeing hulls painted red for a long time to come.

一個潛在的歷史傳統進一步促成了對紅色的偏好。對紅色的偏好，起源于兩千多年以前，且至今仍相當流行，在未來很長一段時間內，我們很可能會繼續看到漆成紅色的船底。

Word Bank

hull /h?l/ n. 船身；船體

repel /r?'pel/ v. 推開；趕走；驅除

The fabric has been treated to repel water.