Container ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport. .
The General Cargo Vessel is to be built to carry specific cargoes; all vessels were simply general or dry cargo vessels, i.e. built to carry any and all cargoes either in drums and bales or on pallets. Such cargoes were put in general holds with no specialization.
Heavy lift vessels are quite amazing vessels, built to load, carry and discharge large, unusual shaped cargoes (or even smaller vessels) that will simply not fit inside the holds of conventional vessels. Shaped quite unlike any other cargo vessels, heavy lift vessel are designed to cope with unusually large cargos that will not fit inside normal, conventional vessels. There are three basic methods of loading/discharging these specially strengthened vessels: Load on - Load off | Roll on - Roll off | Float on - float off
The tugboat has a number of functions ranging from towing vessels into berths, to firefighting, salvage and anchor handling/positioning. Tugs range in size (and power) depending on the tasks that they required to perform. A small harbour tug may only have 3 - 400 BHP (Brake Horse Power), whereas a large ocean-going salvage tug may have up to 10,000 BHP engines, capable of towing large cargo vessels off sandbanks and rocks.
The Ro-Ro, or more fully the Roll on - roll off vessel, comes in a number of shapes and sizes, but generally in two types; the passenger ro-ro and the Cargo ro-ro. Passenger ro-ro's have become common sights wherever people want to travel over water with their vehicles. It is probably the only type of cargo vessel that most people have travelled on. Usually a rear door (but sometimes a bow door) allows for vehicles to be driven on and off, stored on the car deck below the passenger accommodation areas.
A bulk carrier is an ocean-going vessel used to transport bulk cargo items such as iron ore, bauxite, coal, cement, grain and similar cargo. Bulk carriers can be recognized by large box-like hatches on deck, designed to slide outboard or fold fore-and-aft to enable access for loading or discharging cargo.
These vessels carry refined petroleum products in numerous bulk tanks for safety and in order to carry a number of different products in a single voyage. Tankers of less than 100,000 dwt are referred to as either "clean" or "dirty". Clean tankers carry refined petroleum products such as gasoline, kerosene, jet fuels, or chemicals. The so-called dirty vessels transport products such as heavy fuel oils or crude oil. Larger tankers usually only carry crude oil.
Refrigerated Cargo Carrying Vessels ("Reefers") are purpose built to carry fruit, meat and other food products across the sea in a fresh and clean manner. Perhaps the most famous of these types of vessels are the banana carriers, trading between the Caribbean and Europe. They are sleak and fast, as their trade demands, with cooling (refrigeration) equipment to keep their cargoes fresh.
The carriage of live animals around the world is performed by specialist vessels, designed (or adapted) to transport large numbers of cattle and sheep in secure but humane conditions. The trade is largely from Australia to the Middle East &/or S.E. Asia. One modern vessel may carry up to 125,000 sheep. This transport of live animals requires experienced and specialized operators. The dangers of disease, rejection, injury and death to and from the animals is particularly high, coupled with the current activities of animal rights activists. When a livestock carrier has a fire or sinks, the loss of life of the animals can be appalling. Remember, sheep and cattle can't swim and they are not very good, when it comes to Lifeboat Drills.
A gas carrier (or gas tanker) is a ship designed to transport LPG, LNG or liquefied chemical gasses in bulk.
