'To fend off a vessel' definitions:

Definition of 'To fend off a vessel'

From: GCIDE

Fend \Fend\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fended; p. pr. & vb. n. Fending.] [Abbrev. fr. defend.] To keep off; to prevent from entering or hitting; to ward off; to shut out; -- often with off; as, to fend off blows. [1913 Webster]
With fern beneath to fend the bitter cold. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
To fend off a boat or To fend off a vessel (Naut.), to prevent its running against anything with too much violence. [1913 Webster]