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List of Ship types

Reference entries for vessel classes and types.

These guides describe vessel designs and uses in general maritime terms. Individual ship records retain the type labels reported by their data source; “Other ship types” labels are broad reporting categories, not specific designs.

18 entries

1. Bulk carrier

   A cargo ship built to carry unpackaged dry commodities such as grain, coal, and ore in its holds.

2. Chemical tanker

   A tanker built or adapted to carry liquid chemicals and other noxious liquid substances in bulk.

3. Combination carrier

   A ship designed to carry either liquid bulk or dry bulk cargo using its full deadweight capacity.

4. Container ship

   A cargo ship arranged to carry standardized freight containers in holds and on deck.

5. Container/ro-ro cargo ship

   A hybrid ship with separate sections for containers and roll-on/roll-off cargo.

6. Cruise passenger ship

   A passenger ship designed for voyages where the journey and onboard experience are part of the service.

7. Gas carrier

   A ship built to transport liquefied gases in bulk in specialized cargo tanks.

8. General cargo ship

   A versatile cargo ship intended mainly for goods handled as separate packages or units.

9. LNG carrier

   A gas carrier designed to transport liquefied natural gas in insulated cargo tanks.

10. Oil tanker

    A tanker built or adapted mainly to carry crude oil or petroleum products in bulk.

11. Other ship types

    A broad source-data category for ships that do not fit one of the named reporting types; not one vessel design.

12. Other ship types (Offshore)

    A broad reporting category for offshore-service vessels; it does not identify a specific vessel design.

13. Passenger ship

    A vessel designed to carry people by sea, including several more specialized passenger ship types.

14. Refrigerated cargo carrier

    A cargo ship with temperature-controlled holds for perishable or temperature-sensitive goods.

15. Ro-pax ship

    A ship combining passenger transport with roll-on/roll-off vehicle or wheeled-cargo space.

16. Ro-ro ship

    A cargo ship designed for vehicles and other wheeled units to roll on and off through ramps.

17. Vehicle carrier

    A multi-deck ro-ro cargo ship designed to transport empty cars and trucks.

18. VLCC

    Very Large Crude Carrier — a crude oil tanker of roughly 200,000–320,000 DWT, the workhorse of long-haul oil trades.