Merchant Fleets
Merchant ships can broadly be categorized into several categories, according to their purpose and/or size
- Dry cargo ships or freighters as they are also known, carry cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another.
- Bulk carriers which are ocean-going vessel used to transport bulk cargo items such as iron ore, coal, grain and similar cargo.
- Container ships are cargo ships that carry their entire load in truck-size containers.
- Tankers which are designed to transport liquids in bulk such as chemicals, crude oil and other similar goods.
- Reefer ships are a type of ship typically used to transport perishable commodities which require temperature-controlled transportation.
- Coasters, smaller ships for any category of cargo which are normally not on ocean-crossing routes, but in coastwise trades.
- Passenger ships whose primary function is to carry passengers. They also include cruise ships or cruise liners used for pleasure voyages.
- Ferries are a form of boat or ship that is used to carry passengers and heavy transport freights such as lorries and cars.
- Specialized ships such as FPSO Vessels, RORO, LNG Carriers, Dredgers etc