Ma'anar ƙamus na "kwale-kwalen jirgin ruwa" yana nufin saman saman kwance ko dandali a kan jirgin ruwa, wanda ake amfani da shi don tafiya, aiki, ko zama. Yawanci yana sama da gangar jikin kuma ana iya rufe shi ko buɗe shi, ya danganta da nau'in jirgin ruwa. Tashar jirgin ruwa wani muhimmin bangare ne na jirgin, yana samar da wuri mai aminci da kwanciyar hankali ga ma'aikatan jirgin da fasinjoji don tafiya da kuma gudanar da ayyuka daban-daban.