There are different types of ships of various configurations, sizes and shapes, ranging from general-purpose cargo ships and multi-purpose or specific-purpose container vessels in international trade.
Table of Contents
- Conventional (Break Bulk) Cargo Ships
- Container Ships
- RO-RO (Roll on/Roll off)
- Reefer Ships in different types of Ships
Let us see the different types of ships that are of interest to us:
Conventional (Break Bulk) Cargo Ships
These flexible, multipurpose vessels are designed to be self-sufficient, most being equipped with cargo handling equipment such as cranes and derricks, and with heavy lift capabilities.
These ships can be completely independent of port facilities to load/off load cargo. In some cases, cargo can be discharged onto lighters (very small boats; LASH – lighter aboard ship), where no piers or quays exist.
Container Ships
Ships which are designed to carry goods stored in containers are called container ships.
These ships are fully cellular in construction (equipped with a series of internal guide rails to hold containers), and load containers under deck and on deck on specially fitted hatch covers.
To note, some small to medium-size container vessels may have geared lifting capability (either cranes or full-width derricks), most container vessels today are “gearless” (without any lifting equipment).
These vessels are totally dependent on a port’s facilities for loading and discharge of containers.
RO-RO (Roll on/Roll off)
This RO-RO ship involves the loading of non-standard cargo onto the vessel, either self-propelled or towed, with mobile equipment, such as wheeled MAFI-trailers, lifters, and tractors and other transport devices.
The purest form of a RO-RO ship is the dedicated pure car/truck transporter.
A variant called RO-LO, for roll-on/off-lift-on/off is a vessel designed to accommodate both roll-on and lift-on cargo with the lift-on cargo usually being stowed on deck, or in dedicated holds separate from the RO-RO decks.
Reefer Ships in different types of Ships
These are specially designed vessels with a large reefer (temperature-controlled chamber) for the transport of a variety of perishable cargo.
