两者的区别如下：

admiralty court主要是对有关海事的合同、侵权、伤害和犯罪行使管辖权的法院，故其为“海事法院”，也称为admiralty或maritime court。（A court that exercises jurisdiction over all maritime contracts，torts，injuries，or offenses.” Cf. Bryan A. Gamer, Black’s Law Dictionary, 7 th edition, at p. 47, West Group (1999).）

值得注意的是在英国，尽管admiralty有“海军部”或“与海军相关”的含义，但admiralty court却决非是“海军法院”或“海军军事法庭”，而是地道的“海事法院”，尽管在1340年初建时，“最初看起来设置这些法庭的目的是预防和惩罚海盗行为”，并“是海军大臣助理主审的法院”。

事实上，“海军军事法院或法庭”应该是naval martial-court，其是实施管辖海军的法律规则（naval law)的法院（庭）。

如：

Where the subject matter of enforcement is a ship, enforcement may be entrusted to an admiralty court with jurisdiction.

执行标的物是船舶的，可以委托有管辖权的海事法院执行。

Whatever is not described in this agreement, shall be subject to discussion between the two parties and where required, shall be finally settled under the arbitration of the Shanghai Admiralty Court.

以上协议未尽事宜，双方协商解决，协商未果，可提交上海海事法院审理。

相比之下，术语naval court中尽管也有naval—词，但其却应是“海事事故法庭”（与军事法庭无关，至于naval一词，大概与先前英国的船舶管理均属于准军事化规定有关），此种法庭由国外停泊的船舶的船长或使馆官员组成，专门负责处理船主或货主（owner of ship or cargo)提出的紧急调查申诉或船舶被遗弃、沉没、灭失 等意外事故案件。（“Naval court：any officer who commands a ship belonging to Her Majesty on any foreign station or any consular officer may hold such a court when a complaint which requires immediate investigation arises，when the owner*s interest in any Canadian ship or cargo seems to require it or when a Canadian ship is abandoned, wrecked or lost. " Cf. R. M. Fernandes & C. Burke, The Annotated Canada Shipping Act, at p. 213, Toronto, But- terwoiths (1988)）