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