SHIPPING INDUSTRY

 
 

Importance of Shipping

A ship is a floating vessel used for transporting cargo across the oceans and through rivers. Ships come in different sizes and arrangements to carry different types of cargo. Ships have served mankind since pre historic times. Modern ships made of steel, equipped with very powerful engines, very large, operate at different speeds though much slower than trucks, trains, and planes.

Importance of the role of shipping and ships can be appreciated from the fact that ships transport about 95% of world’s cargo (including that by road, rail, air, and other means). The economy of the world depends upon shipping. All attempts are made to make ships suitable and economical for carrying different types of cargo.

Types of Ships

Ships can be categorized as follows:

There are two major categories (not counting the ships for defense – Navy) – namely Cargo Ships and Passenger Ships. Cargo Ships are further subdivided into Dry Cargoes and Wet Cargoes as given in the chart below. There are other types that can be placed under ‘special category’

Cargo Ships

Passenger Ships

Dry Cargo Ships

Liquid Cargo Ships (Tankers)

Cruise Liner

General Cargo

General Cargo
(Boxes, Machinery, etc)

Oil Tankers

Crude oil, refined oils,
and petroleum products

Ferries

Container Vessel

Containers

Chemical Carriers

Chemicals in bulk

Bulk Carriers

Bulk Cargoes
(Ore, Grain, Coal,
Cement, etc)

Gas Carriers

Liquefied Gases
(LNG, LPG, and other gases in liquid state)

Roll On – Roll Off Vessel

Trucks, trailers, vehicles

Other ships: Tug Boats, Offshore supply vessels, Cable laying ships, survey ships, Oil platforms, etc.

Small floating vessels used for different purposes are called boats.
 

 

Comments are closed

Sorry, but you cannot leave a comment for this post.