From decades of experience, business giants believe that though sea shipping is a time-consuming process, it saves a lot of transportation costs.
International Maritime Organization (IMO) states that the sea is the source of 90% of cargo transportation.
That’s the major reason that there are proper schedules for every shipping. If you have a tight schedule, going for air shipment is preferable.
Over time, various types of cargo ships designed for multiple functions are introduced to reduce shipment issues.
Businesses looking for effectively scheduled shipments without strict deadlines usually prefer cargo ships as they save a hefty amount of money.
So, without further ado, let’s chop down details of various types of cargo ships into smaller chunks for better understanding.
This short guide will assist you in choosing the best ships for your business design and setup.
1. Bulk Vessels
The most appropriate usage of bulk vessels is to transport dry products. They have a particular design that carries quite drier products, like sugar or coal.
Power sources, fertilizers, and grain transporters also prefer bulk vessels. These ships usually require a pump and a conveyor to load and unload goods.
Such types of cargo ships have specific ports and equipment. Their designs and sizes greatly vary depending upon the needs and goods.
Bulk vessels move at a speed of 13 knots- a little lesser than average speed- however, they can hold up to 200,000 DWT.
2. Reefer Vessels
Suppose you are looking to transport frozen or temperature-controlled items such as meat. In that case, unquestionably, reefer vessels are best for you.
This type of cargo ship also transports all temperature-sensitive goods like fish and fruits. They have a built-in mechanism of temperature treatment for maintaining thermal variations.
These usually have three to five holds.
3. Container Vessels
As the name explains it all, container vessels can transport containers combined with road routes.
They have special ports and loading and unloading mechanisms. This idea became popular in the 1960s when land and sea routes joined for a single purpose of trade. Such vessels carry standard-size containers.
That’s why their sizes vary depending on the requirements. The largest size available so far is a 400m vessel, having a capacity of more than 18,000 TEUs.
These vessels possess considerably high speeds, with an average of 21 knots.
4. RO-RO Vessels
These vessels have a unique design to host loading and unloading cargo trailers onto a ship with the aid of a ramp.
Ro-Ro vessel possesses a multi-ramp setup for loading and unloading purposes. Cargo trailers with wheels are a must for such cargo ships.
Railroad cars, car carriers, truck trailers, and other vehicle ferries are among the common forms of such ships.
They have marked the speed needle up to an average of 20 knots.
5. Multi-Purpose Vessels
These ships are an all-rounder in terms of transportation of goods and items. Multi-purpose vessels are extremely common nowadays due to their versatility.
Traders and businesses can send all of their goods at once instead of paying hefty amounts for specialty purposes.
6. Barge Vessels
These vessels came into the sea shipping industry when people started to think out of the box.
Before the 1960s, ships usually spend hours and even days loading and unloading activities.
With the advent of barge vessels, the storage was shifted inside the sizeable floating pontoon.
Instead of ships lingering at the port, all loading and unloading activities occur at the harbor.
Tugboats are the primary carrier of pontoons between the ship and the port. Though such types of cargo ships are not very popular, they are still in fashion.
7. Tanker Vessel
If you have liquid items to transport across the sea, then tanker vessels are the best partner for your shipping journey.
No matter its oil or chemicals, these vessels will work for you. Even if you are looking for a shipment of crude oil, there are special types of tanker vessels to make your life easier.
Depending on your requirements, the size of these crude oil carriers ranges from small to ultra-wide.
Gas carriers also fall under this category. As LNGs and other liquefied gases are becoming common daily, these specialized carriers are now in fashion.
8. Livestock Carriers
Livestock has been one of the most significant industries for decades. So, specific ships designed with animal feeding zones are also available for shipping these living creatures.
They have even open as well as closed corrals. These ships are sensitive in nature due to their direct interaction with living beings.
Bottom Line
There are various types of cargo ships that are designed for specialized purposes ranging from solid items to liquid and even gases.
So, depending on the products and even their sizes and shape of these items, choose the most appropriate from the aforementioned types.
