Unit 1: CATEGORIES OF CARGO & TYPE OF SHIPS

Type of ships :

1. Dry General ship – Is always a Tween multi - Decker, fitted

with cargo handling gear, designed to stow and transport all
commodities in packaged form .
TO NAME A FEW COMMODITIES OF EACH TYPE OF
CARGO:
General cargo: commodities packed in cases, bags,
cartons, bales, sawn timber, carpet rolls, drums, logs, packed
/ unpacked machinery, steel and steel products and likewise
packages.

2. Reefer Cargo Ship : Is a vessel apparently like any other

general cargo ship; She has heavily insulated cargo
compartments and hatch covers, on some ships even the
weather deck is fitted with insulating material. Every cargo
compartment temperature can be set from one central cooling
plant, as per the requirement of the cargo in stow.
Reefer Cargo : Are pre-cooled commodities which require
temperature control for their shelf live i.e meats, seafood, dairy
products, fruits, vegetables, medicines, and likewise,
commodities.

3. Multi-purpose ship – Is always a Tween Decker, fitted with cargo

handling gear, in addition to general cargo, this ship is designed to
transport
Commodities: To name a few commodities, small quantity of
liquid cargoes in designated tanks, heavy lifts in designated cargo
compartments, Auto mobiles, small quantity of reefer cargo &
special cargoes, general cargo etc. she may be fitted with vehicle
loading stern / bow Ram

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CATEGORIES OF CARGO & TYPE OF SHIPS
4. Dry Bulk Carrier – Is specially designed to stow and transport
commodities in unpackaged form i.e ores, coal, dry chemicals,
cement, food grains, fertilizers etc. Bulk carrier may be fitted
different type of cargo handling gears or may be gear less.
Bulk cargo: commodities shipped in unpacked condition / in
loose bulk i.e food grains, chemicals mined products, petro by
products, agri-products etc. Carrier must be a bulk carrier.

5. O.B.O (Oil Bulk & ORE): Is a specially designed vessel with

hatches, designated for transportation of dry bulk commodities
and liquid commodities in alternate hatches during the same
laden voyage. The hatches designated for liquid commodities
are water tight compartments fitted with heating arrangements,
filling and pumping arrangements, like any other tanker.
High concentrate bulk cargoes: bulk cargoes of high
concentrate nature having a very low stowage factor i.e
concentrate of copper, steel billets, pig iron etc. Shipped in
bulk . Vessel generally deployed is an O.B.O type.

6. Container ship – Is specially designed, strengthened and

equipped to stow, secure and safely transport multi-model
loaded and empty containers of ISO dimensions and of
different type. Container ship may be fitted with container lifting
gear or may be without lifting gear.
Containerized Consignment: such consignments could be in
solid form – packed / unpacked or liquid form, contained in
appropriate marine container. For transportation of few containers
ship deployed could be a general cargo ship / multi-purpose ship,
for transportation of large quantity of marine containers, ship
depolyed is a designed container carrier.
7. Tanker : Is a vessel specially designed to load / discharge safely
transport various type of liquid commodities of oils, crudes and
chemicals at various temperatures and gases in liquefied state.
liquid bulk : liquid commodities shipped in bulk, i.e curde
oils, fuel oil, diesel oil, chemicals, acids, vegetable oils and
tallow. Ship deployed
is a tanker.
Liquified gases: Gases shipped and retained under pressure to
keep them in liquid form i.e butane, nitrogen etc. Vessel deployed
is a gas carrier.

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CATEGORIES OF CARGO & TYPE OF SHIPS

8. (A) RORO Ship: is a ships specially designed to load / discharge

any commodity using vehicles as a mode for in and out movement
of the commodities through a specially designed Stern / Bow
Ram. In some cases this type of vessel may be fitted with cargo
lifting gear and be designed with hatch opening on the weather
deck. Commodities Shipped: are all type
and size of vehicles, heavy earth moving equipment, Army warfare
equipment and general cargoes shipped and discharged on
vehicles.

(B) RORO SHIP (PCC) – PURE CAR CARRIER: Is a ship

specially designed with several decks with sufficient headroom
to accommodate saloon cars only, the under decks extend from
forward to aft and from Port side to starboard side, with inter
connecting collapsible rams between to connect the decks.
The loading and discharging of cars is conducted by Rolling in and
Rolling out of the cars driven over the Stern Ram or a Ram which
can be slewed to Port and Starboard quarter.
PCC can be easily recognized by her high free board.
CARS SECURING SYSTEM : Each car is secured by specially
designed nylon belts tightened by tension binder to specially
designed collapsible eyes built in the deck plating.

9. LIVE STOCK CARRIER: Is a vessel specially designed to

transport living animals. The vessel is provided with barricades
with sufficient space and ventilation required for each animal,
Sufficient provision Stores and Fresh Water requirement for
voyage, disposal system for waste matter, medical facilities and
living accommodation for the animal attendant.
LIVE STOCK : Live animals i.e sheep, goats, cows, buffalo, circus
animals and like wise animals.

10. Passenger / cruse liner : Is a ship designed to transport

Passengers( living human beings) with utmost pleasure,
comfort and safety, from one port to another across the seven
seas of the world.
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CATEGORIES OF CARGO & TYPE OF SHIPS
11. LASH SHIP – (LIGHTERS ABOARD SHIP :Is a ship
designed to load and stow on board lighters ( small dumb
vessel also termed as Dumb Barge, ranging between 300 to
1000 Metric Tons of deadweight capacity ).
This type of vessel is designed with Two or more decks with
sufficient head room for the barges to be stowed under deck
and on weather deck, which is fitted with designed stools for
stowage of the lighters.
This type of ship may be fitted with travelling gantry on deck
to sling and pick up the floating lighter towed and made fast
alongside the ship; alternately, she will be fitted with elevator
system designed at the recess on the stern of the ship to lift
the lighter out of the water.

12. LOG CARRIER: is always a single decker ship, provided with

compliance with the Timber Code, cargo lifting gear specially
designed with deck fittings like ridged / rigged collapsible
stanchions, strong points on deck for connecting various
intermediate and over all lashing wire, supplied with suitable
lashing tightening equipment like bottle screws, roller shackles,
senhose slip hook and lashing tightening deck machinery.

13. OFF SHORE VESSEL (O.S.V) :

This type of vessel is not very large in size.
The design and layout of the accommodation and the navigation
bridge is well in the fore part of the vessel.
A clear open deck abaft the accommodation deck is for
transporting material to and from the off shore installations.
This type of vessel is fitted with light lifting crane for stores
handling. OSV is used as support vessel for transfer of crew for
special operations on the off shore installations.
Some of the OSV are Termed as “Anchor Handling Vessel” which
are fitted with equipments with powerful windlass for anchor
handling of the Off Shore Rig, and towing arrangements for towing
of the platforms.