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Jump to Vessel prefixes: A category designation appears before the vessel's name. ... may have "RMS (Royal Mail Ship, usually a passenger liner), "MV" (Motor Vessel, powered by Diesel). ... (For further discussion, see Ship prefixes.) ...
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 4 hrs (2011-12-05 16:34:21 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I don't understand why you think "motonave" is not a cargo ship? I don't see what else it could be, and I worked on these merchant ships.
As for Phil's note about whether to translate or not, yes, it's part of the name but "M/N" would mean nothing to most English speakers so I'd suggest you put "MV" in brackets
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 5 hrs (2011-12-05 16:41:34 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
yes, had a look at the Italian wiki so understand your doubts as it shows passenger launches in Venice! But, when translated this Wiki becomes
"A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The name of motor ships are often prefixed with MS, M/S, MV[1] or M/V.[2]"
In any case, rest assured that, in English, MV is definitely used for cargo ships.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 5 hrs (2011-12-05 16:48:03 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
one of the ships I worked on, (and very different from the Venetian ones!) some years ago now. We took zinc from Northern Baffin Island 83 degrees north to Antwerp and in winter , grain from Hamburg to Leningrad/St Petersburg
The context is a technical survey following a claim for damages. The m/n does not appear on any of the shipping sites giving the vessel's details in any language other than Italian, and I am tempted simply to leave it out, after specifying m/v in the first instance as per the answer proposed below.
there isn't much more relevant context - it's simply a cargo vessel transporting grain, and it does clearly rely on engines (although not spec. diesel) for propulsion. I believe motonave refers to a smaller boat, for tourism use or passenger ferries.
Jump to Vessel prefixes: A category designation appears before the vessel's name. ... may have "RMS (Royal Mail Ship, usually a passenger liner), "MV" (Motor Vessel, powered by Diesel). ... (For further discussion, see Ship prefixes.) ...
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 4 hrs (2011-12-05 16:34:21 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I don't understand why you think "motonave" is not a cargo ship? I don't see what else it could be, and I worked on these merchant ships.
As for Phil's note about whether to translate or not, yes, it's part of the name but "M/N" would mean nothing to most English speakers so I'd suggest you put "MV" in brackets
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 5 hrs (2011-12-05 16:41:34 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
yes, had a look at the Italian wiki so understand your doubts as it shows passenger launches in Venice! But, when translated this Wiki becomes
"A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The name of motor ships are often prefixed with MS, M/S, MV[1] or M/V.[2]"
In any case, rest assured that, in English, MV is definitely used for cargo ships.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 5 hrs (2011-12-05 16:48:03 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
one of the ships I worked on, (and very different from the Venetian ones!) some years ago now. We took zinc from Northern Baffin Island 83 degrees north to Antwerp and in winter , grain from Hamburg to Leningrad/St Petersburg
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 6 days (2011-12-11 13:10:39 GMT) Post-grading --------------------------------------------------
glad to have helped
gallagy2 Ireland Works in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 17
Grading comment
Thanks!
Notes to answerer
Asker: see my note to Lucrezia below - motonave just seems too unlikely for a cargo ship, but perhaps that's just what it is - it is presumably driven by diesel engines just as in your definition, although it's not specified in the text.
Reference information: Maybe the Italian Authority has classed it as a Motonave, but all I found for this vessel is cargo ship EIREN (with no M/V or M/S) - actually its a gearless dry cargo vessel - so why not translate it as cargo ship.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2011-12-05 13:52:59 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
If you go to wiki's english version of Motonave it gives a general discription.
This link might be useful
Lucrezia Amedeo Italy Specializes in field Native speaker of: Italian PRO pts in category: 20
Note to reference poster
Asker: that's the same info I found - I might be showing my ignorance, but I thought a cargo or tanker cannot be a motonave. http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motonave
Wikipedia above puts M/N as motonave, but specifies that they are usually passenger transport or torusim boats, not cargo vessels..
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +1
