Ships

Machines built to move the world.

Ten families of merchant vessel, each shaped by the cargo it carries. What they look like, how they are worked, and what serving on one is actually like.

PHOTO — CONTAINER SHIP UNDERWAY, QUARTER VIEW

LINER TRADES · UP TO 24,000 TEU

Container Ships

Fixed schedules, tight port stays, and a stack of boxes that has to be planned to the tonne. The most visible ships in the world fleet.

VLCC · SUEZMAX · AFRAMAX

Crude Oil Tankers

CAPESIZE · PANAMAX · HANDY

Bulk Carriers

PHOTO — LNG CARRIER

LNG Carriers

Membrane or Moss tanks holding cargo at −162 °C, with boil-off burned as fuel.

CAPACITY: 174,000 m³
TYPICAL LOA: 295 m

PHOTO — LPG CARRIER

LPG Carriers

Fully pressurised, semi-refrigerated or fully refrigerated — three very different ships.

CARGO: Propane, butane
TANK TYPES: Type A–C

PHOTO — RO-RO STERN RAMP

Ro-Ro Ships

Cargo that drives on and drives off. Fast turnarounds, and stability to watch closely.

LANE METRES: 4,000+
ACCESS: Stern ramp

PHOTO — PCTC AT BERTH

Car Carriers

Twelve decks of vehicles, some of them liftable. Enormous sail area in a beam wind.

CAPACITY: 7,000 CEU
DECKS: 12–14

PHOTO — GEARED GENERAL CARGO SHIP

General Cargo

Own cranes, mixed parcels, and ports without terminal equipment. Real seamanship.

GEAR: 30–80 t cranes
TRADE: Tramp

PHOTO — PSV ALONGSIDE RIG

Offshore Vessels

PSVs, AHTS and construction vessels. Dynamic positioning and short, intense passages.

STATION: DP2 / DP3
CREWING: Rotational

PHOTO — PRODUCT TANKER MANIFOLD

Product Tankers

Coated tanks, multiple grades, and tank cleaning between almost every cargo.

SIZE: MR · LR1 · LR2
GRADES: Up to 6

PHOTO — CRUISE SHIP AT SEA

Cruise Ships

A floating town with a hotel department. Passenger ship rules change everything on board.

SOULS ABOARD: 6,000+
PROPULSION: Diesel-electric

HOW SHIPS ARE MEASURED

Four numbers on every ship's particulars

Mix these up in an exam or a port call and the consequences differ only in cost.

DWT: Total mass the ship can carry — cargo, bunkers, stores, water, crew.
GT: Total enclosed volume, expressed as a dimensionless figure. Not a weight.
NT: The volume of the cargo-carrying spaces. Drives many port dues.
LOA: Extreme length of the hull. Decides which berths and locks are available.