View source for Cargo ship

{{short description|Ship or vessel that carries goods and materials}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
[[File:Cargo Ship Puerto Cortes.jpg|thumb|223x223px|Cargo ship at [[Puerto Cortés]] in Honduras.]]
A '''cargo ship''' or '''freighter''' is a [[merchant ship]] that carries [[cargo]], [[goods]], and materials from one [[port]] to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's [[List of seas|seas]] and [[Ocean|oceans]] each year, handling the bulk of [[international trade]]. Cargo ships are usually specially designed for the task, often being equipped with [[crane (machine)|cranes]] and other mechanisms to load and unload, and come in all sizes. Today, they are almost always built of [[Welding|welded]] [[steel]], and with some exceptions generally have a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years before being scrapped.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

== Definitions ==
{{redirect|Freight liner|other uses|Freightliner (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Container Ship.jpg|thumb|A container ship unloading at [[Zanzibar]], [[Tanzania]]]]
[[File:MV American Tern at McMurdo Sound.jpg|thumb|A [[United States|US]] cargo ship off [[McMurdo Station]], [[Antarctica]]]]
[[File:Namibia (2007).jpg|thumb|General cargo ship ''Namibia'']]
{{Admiralty law}}The words ''cargo'' and ''freight'' have become interchangeable in casual usage. Technically, "cargo" refers to the goods carried aboard the ship for hire, while "freight" refers to the act of carrying of such cargo, but the terms have been used interchangeably for centuries.

Generally, the modern ocean shipping business is divided into two classes:
# Liner business: typically (but not exclusively) container vessels (wherein "general cargo" is carried in 20- or 40-foot containers), operating as "common carriers", calling at a regularly published schedule of ports. A common carrier refers to a regulated service where any member of the public may book cargo for shipment, according to long-established and internationally agreed rules.
# Tramp-tanker business: generally this is private business arranged between the shipper and receiver and facilitated by the vessel owners or operators, who offer their vessels for hire to carry bulk (dry or liquid) or break bulk (cargoes with individually handled pieces) to any suitable port(s) in the world, according to a specifically drawn contract, called a [[charter party]].

Larger cargo ships are generally operated by [[shipping line]]s: companies that specialize in the handling of cargo in general. Smaller vessels, such as [[Coastal trading vessel|coasters]], are often owned by their operators.

=== Types ===

Cargo ships/freighters can be divided into eight groups, according to the type of cargo they carry.  These groups are:
# [[Feeder ship]]
# General cargo vessels
# [[Container ship]]s
# [[Tanker (ship)|Tankers]]
# Dry [[bulk carrier]]s
# [[Multi-purpose vessel]]s
# [[Reefer ship]]s
# [[Roll-on/roll-off]] vessels.

==== Rough synopses of cargo ship types ====
# General cargo vessels carry packaged items like [[Chemical industry|chemicals]], foods, [[furniture]], machinery, [[Motor vehicle|motor-]] and [[Military vehicle|military vehicles]], footwear, garments, etc.
# [[Container ship]]s (sometimes spelled '''containerships''') are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size [[intermodal container]]s, in a technique called [[containerization]]. They are a common means of commercial [[intermodal freight transport]] and now carry most seagoing non-bulk cargo. Container ship capacity is measured in [[twenty-foot equivalent unit]]s (TEU).
# [[Tanker (ship)|Tankers]] carry [[petroleum]] products or other liquid cargo.
# Dry [[bulk carrier]]s carry [[coal]], [[grain]], [[ore]] and other similar products in loose form.
# [[Multi-purpose vessel]]s, as the name suggests, carry different classes of cargo – e.g. liquid and general cargo – at the same time.
# A Reefer, [[Reefer ship]]s (or Refrigerated) ship is specifically designed<ref>{{cite web |url=http://crosstree.info/Documents/reefer%20vessels.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090326013334/http://crosstree.info/Documents/reefer%20vessels.pdf |archive-date=March 26, 2009 |url-status=dead |title=Article: from publication on types of Reefer Ships by Capt. Pawanexh Kohli}}</ref> and used for shipping perishable commodities which require [[air conditioning|temperature-controlled]], mostly [[fruit]]s, [[meat]], [[fish]], [[vegetable]]s, [[dairy product]]s and other [[foodstuff]]s.
# Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels.
# Timber (Lumber) carriers that transport [[lumber]], [[Trunk (botany)|logs]] and related wood products.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.marineinsight.com/naval-architecture/understanding-lumber-carrier-vessels/ |title=Understanding Lumber Carrier Vessels |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Marine Insight |date=July 13, 2021 |access-date=28 February 2024}}</ref>

==== Specialized cargo ship types ====
Specialized types of cargo vessels include [[container ship]]s and [[bulk carrier]]s (technically tankers of all [[supertanker|sizes]] are cargo ships, although they are routinely thought of as a separate category). Cargo ships fall into two further categories that reflect the services they offer to industry: liner and tramp services.  Those on a fixed published schedule and fixed tariff rates are cargo liners. Tramp ships do not have fixed schedules. Users charter them to haul loads. Generally, the smaller shipping companies and private individuals operate tramp ships. Cargo liners run on fixed schedules published by the shipping companies. Each trip a liner takes is called a voyage. Liners mostly carry general cargo. However, some cargo liners may carry passengers also. A cargo liner that carries 12 or more passengers is called a combination or passenger-run-cargo line.

=== Size categories ===
Cargo ships are categorized partly by cargo or shipping capacity ([[tonnage]]), partly by weight ([[deadweight tonnage]] DWT), and partly by dimensions. Maximum dimensions such as length and width ([[Beam (nautical)|beam]]) limit the canal locks a ship can fit in, water depth ([[Draft (hull)|draft]]) is a limitation for canals, shallow straits or harbors and height is a limitation in order to pass under bridges. Common categories include:

* Dry cargo
** Small Handy size, carriers of 20,000–{{DWT|28,000}}
**[[Seawaymax]], {{DWT|28,000}} the largest vessel that can traverse the [[St Lawrence Seaway]]. These are vessels less than {{convert|740|ft|m|1}} in length, {{convert|78|ft|m|1}} wide, and have a draft less than {{convert|26.51|ft|m|2}} and a height above the waterline no more than {{convert|35.5|m}}.
** [[Handysize|Handy size]], carriers of 28,000–{{DWT|40,000}}
** [[Handymax]], carriers of 40,000–{{DWT|50,000}}
** [[Panamax]], the largest size that can traverse the original locks of the [[Panama Canal]], a {{convert|294.13|m|ft|abbr=on}} length, a {{convert|32.2|m|ft|abbr=on}} width, and a {{convert|12.04|m|ft|abbr=on}} draft as well as a height limit of {{convert|57.91|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Average deadweight between {{DWT|65,000}} and {{DWT|80,000}}, with cargo intake limited to {{DWT|52,500}}.
** [[Panamax#Neopanamax|Neopanamax]], [[Panama Canal expansion project|upgraded Panama locks]] with {{convert|366|m|ft|abbr=on}} length, {{convert|55|m|ft|abbr=on}} beam, {{convert|18|m|ft|abbr=on}} draft, {{DWT|120,000}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://shippingresearch.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/the-new-panamax-13200-teu-containership-120000-dwt-bulk-carrier/|title=The New Panamax; 13,200-TEU Containership, 120,000 dwt Bulk Carrier|work=Shipping Research and Finance|date=September 12, 2012}}</ref>
** [[Capesize]], vessels larger than Suezmax and Neopanamax, and must traverse [[Cape Agulhas]] and [[Cape Horn]] to travel between oceans, dimension: about 170,000 DWT, 290 m long, 45 m beam (wide), 18m draught (under water depth).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://aone-maritime.com/vessel-sizes/ | title=Types of vessel sizes and Bulk Carriers - A One Maritime }}</ref>
** [[Chinamax]], carriers of 380,000–{{DWT|400,000}} up to {{convert|24|m|ft|abbr=on}} draft, {{convert|65|m|ft|abbr=on}} beam and {{convert|360|m|ft|abbr=on}} length; these dimensions are limited by port infrastructure in China
** [[Baltimax]], limited by the [[Great Belt]]. The limit is a draft of 15.4 metres and an [[air draft]] of 65 metres (limited by the clearance of the east bridge of the [[Great Belt Fixed Link]]). The length can be around 240 m and the width around 42 m. This gives a weight of around 100,000 metric ton.

* Wet cargo
**[[Aframax]], oil tankers between 75,000 and {{DWT|115,000}}. This is the largest size defined by the average freight rate assessment (AFRA) scheme.
** [[Q-Max]],  [[liquefied natural gas]] carrier for [[Qatar]] exports. A ship of Q-Max size is {{convert|345|m|ft|abbr=on}} long and measures {{convert|53.8|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide and {{convert|34.7|m|ft|abbr=on}} high, with a shallow draft of approximately {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=joongang>
{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[Korea JoongAng Daily]]
 | url= http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2892082
 | title= Korea launches new tankers. Qatar-bound Mozah is the biggest LNG carrier ever built
 | author = Cho Jae-eun
 | date=2008-07-09
 | access-date=2008-08-02
}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference
 |publisher    = [[United States Maritime Administration|Maritime Administration]]
 |conference   = Intertanko Conference
 |url          = http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/DWP_--_Marine_Transportation_of_LNG.pdf
 |title        = Marine Transportation of LNG
 |first        = Bob
 |last         = Curt
 |date         = 2004-03-29
 |access-date  = 2011-07-30
 |archive-date = July 22, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110722080143/http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/DWP_--_Marine_Transportation_of_LNG.pdf
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> 
** [[Suezmax]], typically ships of about {{DWT|160,000}}, maximum dimensions are a beam of {{convert|77.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}, a draft of {{convert|20.1|m|ft|abbr=on}} as well as a height limit of {{convert|68|m|ft|abbr=on}} can traverse the [[Suez Canal]]
** [[VLCC]] (Very Large Crude Carrier), [[supertanker]]s between 150,000 and {{DWT|320,000}}.
*** [[Malaccamax]], ships with a draft less than {{convert|20.5|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} that can traverse the [[Strait of Malacca]], typically {{DWT|300,000}}. 
** [[Ultra Large Crude Carrier|ULCC]] (Ultra Large Crude Carrier), enormous supertankers between 320,000 and {{DWT|550,000}}

[[File:Ship measurements comparison.svg|Comparison of ship sizes]]

The [[TI-class supertanker]] is an Ultra Large Crude Carrier, with a draft that is deeper than Suezmax, Malaccamax and Neopanamax. This causes Atlantic/Pacific routes to be very long, such as the long voyages south of Cape of Good Hope or south of Cape Horn to transit between Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

[[Lake freighter]]s built for the [[Great Lakes]] in North America differ in design from sea water–going ships because of the difference in wave size and frequency in the lakes. A number of these ships are larger than Seawaymax and cannot leave the lakes and pass to the Atlantic Ocean, since they do not fit the locks on the [[Saint Lawrence Seaway]].

== History ==
{{see also|Maritime timeline}}
[[File:Ubena von Bremen Kiel2007 2.jpg|thumb|A full-scale replica of a [[cog (ship)|cog]], a type of vessel commonly used for cargo in Northern Europe from the 10th to the 14th centuries]]
The earliest records of waterborne activity mention the carriage of items for trade; the evidence of history and archaeology shows the practice to be widespread by the beginning of the 1st millennium BC, and as early as the 14th and 15th centuries BC small Mediterranean cargo ships like those of the 50 foot long (15–16 metre) [[Uluburun shipwreck|Uluburun ship]] were carrying 20 tons of exotic cargo; 11 tons of raw copper, jars, glass, ivory, gold, spices, and treasures from [[Canaan]], [[Ancient Greece|Greece]], [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]], and [[Ancient Africa|Africa]]. The desire to operate trade routes over longer distances, and throughout more seasons of the year, motivated improvements in ship design during the [[Middle Ages]].

Before the middle of the 19th century, the incidence of [[piracy]] resulted in most cargo ships being armed, sometimes quite heavily, as in the case of the [[Manila galleon]]s and [[East Indiamen]]. They were also sometimes escorted by [[warships]].

== Piracy ==
{{Further|Piracy}}
[[Piracy]] is still quite common in some waters, particularly in the [[Malacca Straits]], a narrow channel between [[Indonesia]] and [[Singapore]] / [[Malaysia]], and cargo ships are still commonly targeted. In 2004, the governments of those three nations agreed to provide better protection for the ships passing through the Straits. The waters off [[Somalia]] and [[Nigeria]] are also prone to piracy, while smaller vessels are also in danger along parts of the [[South America]]n coasts, [[Southeast Asia]]n coasts, and near the [[Caribbean Sea]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Documentaries - Pirates - Part Two |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2008/03/080303_pirates_prog2.shtml |website=BBC World Service}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ar120/somalia.html|title=Pirates, Warlords and Rogue Fishing Vessels in Somalia's Unruly Seas}}</ref>

==Vessel prefixes==
{{Main|Ship prefix}}
A category designation appears before the vessel's name. A few examples of prefixes for naval ships are "USS" ([[United States Ship]]), "HMS" ([[His Majesty's Ship|Her/His Majesty’s Ship]]), "HMCS" ([[His Majesty's Canadian Ship|Her/His Majesty's Canadian Ship]]) and "HTMS" (His [[Thailand|Thai]] Majesty's Ship), while a few examples for prefixes for merchant ships are "RMS" ([[Royal Mail Ship]], usually a passenger liner), "MV" ([[Motor ship|Motor Vessel]], powered by [[Diesel engine|diesel]]), "MT" (Motor Tanker, powered vessel carrying liquids only) "FV" [[Fishing vessel|Fishing Vessel]] and "SS" ([[Screw steamer|Screw Steamer]], driven by [[Propeller|propellers]] or screws, often understood to stand for [[Steamship]]). "TS", sometimes found in first position before a merchant ship's prefix, denotes that it is a {{not a typo|''T''urbine ''S''teamer}}.

==Famous cargo ships==
Famous cargo ships include the 2,710 [[Liberty ships]] of [[World War II]], partly based on a [[J.L. Thompson and Sons|British design]]. Liberty ship sections were [[prefabrication|prefabricated]] in locations across the United States and then assembled by shipbuilders in an average of six weeks, with the record being just over four days. These ships allowed the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] in [[World War II]] to replace sunken cargo vessels at a rate greater than the [[Kriegsmarine]]'s [[U-boat]]s could sink them, and contributed significantly to the war effort, the delivery of supplies, and eventual victory over the [[Axis powers of World War II|Axis]] powers. Liberty ships were followed by the faster [[Victory ship]]s. Canada built [[Park ship]]s and [[Fort ship]]s to meet the demand for the Allies shipping. The [[United Kingdom]] built [[Empire ship]]s and used US [[Ocean ship]]s. After the war many of the ships were sold to private companies. The ''[[Ever Given]]'' is a ship that was lodged into the Suez Canal from March 25 to 28, 2021, which caused a halt on maritime trade.<ref>[https://www.marad.dot.gov/shipbuilding-exhibit-victory-ship/ MARAD, Victory Ship, U.S. Maritime Commission design type VC2-S-AP2]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/culture/historique-historic/mer-port/navires-vessels |title=Canada Parks History and culture |access-date=August 3, 2019 |archive-date=July 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729215116/https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/culture/historique-historic/mer-port/navires-vessels |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=PMRJan41>{{cite journal |year=1941 |title=British Order Sixty 10,000 Dwt. Cargo Steamers |journal=Pacific Marine Review |volume=Consolidated 1941 issues |issue=January 1941 |pages=42–43 |publisher=Pacific American Steamship Association/Shipowners' Association of the Pacific Coast |url=https://archive.org/stream/pacificmarinerev3841paci#page/n11/mode/1up |access-date=12 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last2=Sawyer |first2=Leonard Arthur |last1=Mitchell |first1=William Harry |year=1990 |title=The Empire Ships |edition=2nd |publisher=Lloyd's of London Press Ltd |place=London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong |isbn=1-85044-275-4 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The ''[[MV Dali]],'' which collided with the [[Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)|Francis Scott Key Bridge]] in [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], [[United States]], on 26 March 2024, causing a [[Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse|catastrophic structural failure of the bridge]] that resulted in at least 6 deaths.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ng |first=Greg |date=March 26, 2024 |title='Key Bridge is gone': Ship strike destroys bridge, state of emergency declared |url=https://www.wbaltv.com/article/baltimore-bridge-collapse-key-bridge/60303975 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326110645/https://www.wbaltv.com/article/baltimore-bridge-collapse-key-bridge/60303975 |archive-date=March 26, 2024 |access-date=March 26, 2024 |website=WBAL |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=6 workers presumed dead after cargo ship crash levels Baltimore bridge |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/maryland-bridge-collapse-francis-scott-key-bridge-boat-baltimore-rcna145047 |access-date=27 March 2024 |work=NBC News |date=27 March 2024 |language=en}}{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326090329/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/maryland-bridge-collapse-francis-scott-key-bridge-boat-baltimore-rcna145047 |date=26 March 2024 }}</ref>

== Pollution ==
Due to its low cost, most large cargo vessels are powered by [[bunker fuel]], also known as heavy fuel oil, which contains higher [[Sulfur|sulphur]] levels than diesel.<ref name=guard2009>{{citation| work = [[The Guardian]] |title = Health risks of shipping pollution have been 'underestimated' | first1 = John | last1 = Vidal | date = April 9, 2009 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/apr/09/shipping-pollution | access-date = 11 June 2012}}</ref>  This level of pollution is increasing:<ref>Pollution impact from ships -  [[Cold Ironing#Background|article on Cold ironing]]</ref> with bunker fuel consumption at 278 million tonnes per year in 2001, it is projected to be at 500 million tonnes per year in 2020.<ref>{{citation | title = Global Trade and Fuels Assessment— Additional ECA Modeling Scenarios | publisher = [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] | date = May 2009 | id = EPA-420-R-09-009 | url = http://www.epa.gov/nonroad/marine/ci/420r09009.pdf | access-date = 11 June 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130801084210/http://www.epa.gov/nonroad/marine/ci/420r09009.pdf | archive-date = 1 August 2013 | url-status = dead }}</ref>  International standards to dramatically reduce sulphur content in marine fuels and [[NOx|nitrogen oxide]] emissions have been put in place. Among some of the solutions offered is changing over the fuel intake to [[Ultra-low-sulfur diesel|clean diesel]] or marine gas oil, while in restricted waters and [[cold ironing]] the ship while it is in port. The process of removing sulphur from the fuel impacts the [[viscosity]] and lubricity of the marine gas oil though, which could cause damage in the engine [[fuel pump]]. The fuel viscosity can be raised by cooling the fuel down.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://heinenhopman.com/en/merchant/mgo-cooler/|title=MGO Cooler|date=12 September 2016|website=heinenhopman.com}}</ref> If the various requirements are enforced, the [[International Maritime Organization]]'s marine fuel requirement will mean a 90% reduction in sulphur oxide emissions;<ref>{{citation|title=Air Pollution from Ships |url=http://www.seas-at-risk.org/1mages/111128_Air%20pollution%20from%20ships.pdf |date=November 2011 |access-date=11 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728070254/http://www.seas-at-risk.org/1mages/111128_Air%20pollution%20from%20ships.pdf |archive-date=2013-07-28 }}</ref> whilst the [[European Union]] is planning stricter controls on emissions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessgreen.com/news/2140997/eu-launches-attempt-deliver-shipping-emissions-trading-scheme|title=EU launches attempt to deliver shipping emissions trading scheme|date=January 24, 2012|website=www.businessgreen.com}}</ref>

== Environmental impact ==
Cargo ships have been reported to have a possible negative impact on the population of whale sharks. Smithsonian Magazine reported in 2022 that [[Whale shark|whale sharks]], the largest species of fish, have been disappearing mysteriously over the past 75 years, with research pointing to cargo ships and large vessels as the likely culprits.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Magazine |first1=Smithsonian |last2=Kuta |first2=Sarah |title=Cargo Ships Are Killing Whale Sharks |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cargo-ships-are-killing-whale-sharks-180980101/ |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref> A study involving over 75 researchers highlighted the danger posed to whale sharks by shipping activities in various regions, including Ecuador, Mexico, Malaysia, the Philippines, Oman, Seychelles, and Taiwan.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hobson |first=Melissa |date=2024-05-23 |title=The world's largest fish are vanishing without a trace |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/whale-sharks-endangered-ship-collisions |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240524050500/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/whale-sharks-endangered-ship-collisions |archive-date=2024-05-24 |access-date=2024-05-24 |work=[[National Geographic]]}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Transport}}
* [[Classification of European Inland Waterways]]—standards determining vessel sizes on rivers and canals of Europe
* [[MARPOL 73/78]]—related to pollution: "Amended Regulation 14 concerns mandatory fuel oil change over procedures for vessels entering or leaving SECA areas and FO sulphur limits."
* [[Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)]]
* [[Merchant vessel]]
* [[Ship transport]]
* [[United States Merchant Marine]]

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General references ===
*{{cite book|last=Greenway|first=Ambrose|title=Cargo Liners: An Illustrated History|date=2009|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK|isbn=9781848320062}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Cargo ships}}
{{Wikivoyage|Freighter_travel}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160901004059/http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch3en/conc3en/shipsize.html Vessel size groups]
* [http://forshipbuilding.com/ship-types/cargo-ship/ Cargo ship: general structure and arrangement by picture]

{{ModernMerchantShipTypes}}
{{Liberty ships}}
{{Victory ships}}
{{Fort ships}}
{{Park ships}}
{{Empire ships}}
{{Ocean ships}}
{{MARCOMships}}
{{WWII US ships}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cargo Ship}}
[[Category:Cargo ships| ]]
[[Category:Maritime transport]]
[[Category:Ship types]]