Container ships: designed to carry intermodal twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU’s) which are filled with cargo and lifted on and off the ship by cranes to be transported on land by rail or truck.
Chemical Tankers: Specialized liquid bulk tankers used to transport chemicals, vegetable oils, etc. Sometimes compartmentalized to carry multiple cargos. Ranked IMO I, II or III depending on what hazard class of cargo they’re certified to carry. Often the most high paid, specialized crews.
Bulk Oil Tankers: A general term for ships designed to transport large quantities of oil, while a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) is a specific type of bulk oil tanker that can carry between 200,000 to 320,000 deadweight tons (DWT) of crude oil. VLCCs are among the largest tankers used in the shipping industry, specifically for transporting crude oil across oceans.
Ro-Ro: roll on roll off carriers have special ramps to allow wheeled cargo to be driven on and off under their own power making loading cars and such much more efficient than on a Lo-Lo (lift on lift off) carrier. Sometimes called car carriers.
Bulk Cargo Carriers: designed for dry bulk like grains, ore, cement, forest products or coal.
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG): a newer class of ship that allows the compressed transport of LNG. When this came on the market it dramatically changed global energy markets. Before these ships LNG was not transported by ocean and could only be sold near where it was produced.
General Cargo Ship: The oldest and most flexible type. Carries mixed packaged freight — bags, pallets, crates, drums, machinery, timber, breakbulk cargo. Has multiple holds with ‘tween decks (intermediate decks within the hold) and its own cranes or derricks on deck. Can call at smaller ports without specialized infrastructure because it’s self-sustaining.
