Sentence:  A passenger on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth died this week following an accident while boarding from a <WSD>tender</WSD> (the small boats that carry passengers from ship to shore or port when the cruise ship anchors at sea). ... Gangway ramps can, on occasion, break free of either the ship or the <WSD>tender</WSD>, causing passengers or crew to fall into the sea. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A smaller boat used for transportation between a large ship and the shore.