Abridge article about Arabian craft (8)
I believe the answer is:
trimaran
'craft' is the definition.
(trimaran is a kind of craft)
'abridge article about arabian' is the wordplay.
'abridge' becomes 'trim' (both can mean to shorten).
'article' becomes 'an' (indefinite article).
'about' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'arabian' becomes 'Ar.' (abbreviation in Chambers).
'an' put after 'ar' is 'aran'.
'trim'+'aran'='TRIMARAN'
(Other definitions for trimaran that I've seen before include "Ocean vessel with three hulls side by side" , "Sailing vessel" , "type of boat" , "Sailing boat with three hulls" , "Three-hulled vessel" .)