“If you use or consume something that was not created in your land, it’s because a ship has brought it to your hand”
-Anonymous
While the world has seen countless wars, there would have been much more wars had there not been trade. Trade has linked countries and kingdoms for thousands of years. The globalized world that we live in today is a result of trade that has existed between different lands. Before we had Airlines and Railways to transport goods, we had ships which have modified itself over thousands of years to remain the cheapest and efficient vehicle for trade.
However, in a modern world we use a wide variety of goods. In order for those goods to reach us in in the timeline we need it in, in the condition we desire, in the cost that is affordable, cargo ships are divided into different types based on the cargo they are transporting. This article will tell you the different kinds of cargo ships that make up the maritime industry
- Container Ship
- Bulk Carrier
- Oil, Gas & Chemical Tanker
- Reefer Ship
- Ro-Ro Ship
Container ship
Imagine shifting houses by carrying all household items individually. While the items would take a little longer to store, transport and unload, it would also result in damage to a lot of household items. Hence the first step of shifting houses is placing items in huge cardboard boxes which are then placed in trucks or tempos.
Now replace trucks and tempos with a huge ship and the cardboard boxes with steel containers that can be interlocked together and you have a billion dollar industry of container ships transporting different types of goods across the world. Container ships make up majority of the cargo ships due to its use to transport a variety of goods.
Bulk Carrier
While Container Ships are useful for transporting a variety of goods, there are some goods that are consumed by society in bulk. For such consumptions, we have bulk carrier ships that transport goods such as grains, coal, cement etc. in massive quantities across the world. Bulk Carriers make up 21 per cent of the world’s merchant fleet and play an important role in transporting goods that are to be consumed in large quantities such as those by large scale industries.
Oil, Gas & Chemical Tanker
Oil and Chemicals may move the world but even they need to be moved around the world. Because these resources while required by every society but are not possessed equally by every society, their transportation is to be done with utmost care and in specific conditions. That function is fulfilled by oil, gas and chemical tankers that transport the lifeblood of industries from the countries that possess them in surplus to countries willing to pay a price to purchase them.
Reefer Ship
Would you buy a melted chocolate or spoilt fruit? A lot of goods (food products such as meat, fruits, Dairy products) that are transported have a small shelf life and perish very quickly. So instead of transporting these goods and immediately putting in the refrigerator, the marine industry developed a moving refrigerator ship which is referred to as reefer ships. These ships have refrigerated containers that keep the cargo fresh throughout the journey.
Ro-Ro Ship
For all those who dreamed of owning an imported car’ but ever wondered how these imported cars make their way here. Ro-Ro Ships are ships that transport cars, motorbikes, trucks, trailers, buses and even railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle. RORO vessels have either built-in or shore-based ramps that allow the cargo to be efficiently rolled on and off the vessel when in port
