Wharfinger

Wharfinger (pronounced wor-fin-jer) is an archaic term for a person who is the keeper or owner of a wharf.

[2] An 1844 usage appears in Pigot's Directory of Dorset[3] in which Beales and Cox are noted to be wharfingers for the Port of Weymouth.

In Smith v. Burnett, 173 U.S. 430 (1899), the US Supreme Court set forth the primary duties a wharfinger owes to vessels using the dock.

A wharfinger does not guarantee the safety of the vessels using its dock, but must exercise reasonable diligence to determine the condition of the berth, remove dangerous obstructions or provide a warning thereof, provide a usable entrance and exit to the dock, maintain sufficient depth for anticipated vessels by dredging, and warn of latent hazards and dangers.

For example, in the town of Saint Andrews in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, wharfinger is the name for the official responsible for the Market Wharf.