Ship Design and Selection of Access Equipment — General Cargo

Summary

Design features of the principal types of vessel for carrying general cargo are described, along with the factors which influence the selection of their cargo access equipment. Section 8.1 discusses multi-deck ships for break-bulk cargoes and Section 8.2 container ships. The wide variety of Ro-Ro types are divided thus: Section 8.3.1 Passenger/vehicle ferries, Section 8.3.2 Short sea freight Ro-Ros, Section 8.3.3 Deep sea Ro-Ros. Section 8.4 discusses miscellaneous types including refrigerated vessels, barge carriers and heavy-lift ships. Finally, Section 8.5 discusses the choice of ship type for carrying general cargo. It is suggested that container ships are the primary deep sea unit load carriers, with Ro-Ro vessels providing flexibility for certain trades. Break-bulk vessels and barge carriers find their best applications serving low labour cost or developing countries.