| A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of | | | | Larger cargo ships are generally |
| ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods | | | | operated by shipping lines: companies |
| and materials from one port to another. | | | | that specialize in the handling of cargo |
| Thousands of cargo carriers ply the | | | | in general. Smaller vessels, such as |
| world's seas and oceans each year; they | | | | coasters, are often owned by their |
| handle the bulk of international trade. | | | | operators. |
| Cargo ships are usually specially | | | | Vessel prefixes: Before the vessel's |
| designed for the task, being equipped | | | | name will be found a category |
| with cranes and other mechanisms to load | | | | designation. Naval ships, for example, |
| and unload, and come in all sizes. | | | | will have "USS" (United States Ship), |
| Types | | | | "HMS" (Her/His Majesty's Ship). Merchant |
| Specialized types of cargo vessels | | | | ships may have "RMS (Royal Mail Ship, |
| include container ships and bulk | | | | usually a passenger liner), "MV" (Motor |
| carriers (technically tankers and | | | | Vessel, (powered by Diesel). "SS" (Steam |
| supertankers are cargo ships, although | | | | Ship, now seldom seen, powered by |
| they are routinely thought of as a | | | | steam). "TS", sometimes found in first |
| separate category). | | | | position before a merchant ship's |
| History | | | | prefix, denotes that it has Twin Screws. |
| The earliest records of waterborne | | | | (For further discussion, see Ship |
| activity mention the carriage of items | | | | prefixes.) |
| for trade; the evidence of history and | | | | Famous cargo ships would include the |
| archaeology shows the practice to be | | | | Liberty ships of World War II, partly |
| widespread by the beginning of the 1st | | | | based on a British design, the sections |
| millennium BC. The desire to operate | | | | for which were prefabricated all over |
| trade routes over longer distances and | | | | the USA and then assembled by |
| at more seasons of the year motivated | | | | shipbuilders in an average of 6 weeks |
| improvements in ship design during the | | | | with the record being just over 4 days. |
| Middle Ages. | | | | These ships allowed the allies to |
| Before the middle of the 19th century, | | | | replace sunken cargo vessels at a rate |
| the incidence of piracy resulted in most | | | | greater than the Kriegsmarine's U-boats |
| cargo ships being armed, sometimes quite | | | | could sink them, and contributed |
| heavily, as in the case of the Manila | | | | significantly to the war effort, the |
| galleons and East Indiamen. | | | | delivery of supplies, and eventual |
| Piracy | | | | victory over the Axis powers. |
| Piracy is still quite common in some | | | | Lake freighters built for the Great |
| waters, particualarly around Asia, most | | | | Lakes in North America differ in design |
| notably in the Malacca Straits, a narrow | | | | from "salties" because of the difference |
| channel between Indonesia and Singapore | | | | in wave size and frequency in the lakes. |
| Malaysia. In 2004, the governments of | | | | A number of these boats are so large |
| those three nations agreed to provide | | | | that they cannot leave the lakes because |
| better protection for the ships passing | | | | they do not fit into the locks on the |
| through the Straits. Also piracy prone | | | | Saint Lawrence Seaway. |
| are the waters off Somalia and Nigeria, | | | | Sizes of cargo ships |
| while smaller vessels are also in danger | | | | Cargo ships are categorized partly by |
| along parts of the South American | | | | their capacity, partly by their weight, |
| coasts. | | | | and partly by their dimensions (often |
| Definitions | | | | with reference to the various canals and |
| While the definitions have become | | | | canal locks through which they can |
| "cross-pollinated" over the years, | | | | travel). Some common categories include: |
| "cargo" technically refers to the goods | | | | Small Handy size, carriers of |
| carried aboard the ship for hire, while | | | | 20,000-28,000 deadweight tonnage |
| "freight" refers to the compensation the | | | | Handy size, carriers of 28,000-40,000 |
| ship or charterer receives for carrying | | | | deadweight tonnage |
| the cargo. | | | | Handymax, carriers of 40,000-50,000 dwt |
| Generally, the modern ocean shipping | | | | Seawaymax, the largest size which can |
| business is divided into two classes: | | | | traverse the St Lawrence Seaway |
| 1. Liner business: typically (but not | | | | Aframax, oil tankers between 75,000 and |
| exclusively) container vessels (wherein | | | | 115,000 dwt. This is the largest size |
| "general cargo" is carried in 20 or | | | | defined by the average freight rate |
| 40-foot "boxes"), operating as "common | | | | assessment (AFRA) scheme. |
| carriers", calling a regularly-published | | | | Suezmax, the largest size which can |
| schedule of ports. A common carrier | | | | traverse the Suez Canal |
| refers to a regulated service where any | | | | Panamax, the largest size which can |
| member of the public may book cargo for | | | | traverse the Panama Canal (generally: |
| shipment, according to long-established | | | | vessels with a width smaller than 32.2 |
| and internationally agreed rules. | | | | meter) |
| 2. Tramp-tanker business: generally this | | | | Capesize, vessels larger than Panamax |
| is private business arranged between the | | | | and Suezmax, which must traverse the |
| shipper and receiver and facilitated by | | | | Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn in order |
| the vessel owners or operators, who | | | | to travel between oceans |
| offer their vessels for hire to carry | | | | VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier), |
| bulk (dry or liquid) or break bulk | | | | supertankers between 150,000 and 320,000 |
| (cargoes with individually handled | | | | dwt |
| pieces) to any suitable port(s) in the | | | | ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carrier), |
| world, according to a specifically drawn | | | | enormous supertankers between 320,000 |
| contract, called a charter party. | | | | and 550,000 dwt |