Here's one that's been in my notes for a while. It's an example of a pretty obvious thing you can do with ship markers.
Diplomatic Courier
When this ship is lost in an encounter, and its owner is entitled to compensation, this ship counts as 3 (maybe 4) ships when determining how much compensation is owed.
One-time ability:
flip the ship marker to its "used" side to change your revealed encounter card into a negotiate card.
Recharge:
when you successfully negotiate a deal, flip the ship marker back to its "unused" side.