A receipt for cargo in transit, and a contract between the exporter and an ocean carrier for transportation and delivery of goods to a species party at a specified foreign destination. Issued after the vessel has sailed and the cargo has been entered in the ship’s manifest.

(i) OBO (ore/bulk/oil) in 70,000 to 150,000 DWT range (ii) Oil/ore vessels in 150,000 to 250,000 DWT. They are designed so that they can carry bulk dry cargoes as well as oil and thus provide greater flexibility in operation. Some bulk trades are seasonal. Oil shipments are more frequent in winter than in summer. In such circumstances, the combination carrier can switch from one trade to another according to the respective trade requirements and the state of the freight market.

Container ships are cargo ships, also known as Cellular vessels, that carry all their load in truck size inter modal containers. Container ship capacity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Typical loads are a mix of twenty-foot and forty-foot (FEUs) ISO standard containers. Containerization is now a common means of transport carrying most of sea going non bulk cargo. Feeders are small container ships less than 3000 TEUs and generally operate between smaller container ports.

Specially constructed vessels in the size range of a few thousand GT used for coasters to cover 70,000 GT for ocean-going tonnage. The main bulk cargoes carried are iron and other ores, coal, grain, bauxite and phosphates. Main feature is single weather deck and large holds with wide hatches to facilitate loading and discharge by mechanical mean. The Bulk Carriers come in different sizes – Panamax, Suezmax, Capesize etc.

LASH and Sea Bee vessels are mother ships which carry ‘floating containers” in the form of barges up to 1,000 tons displacement. Hoisted abroad such ships by massive cranes or elevators, the barges are transported to an overseas port area when they are lowered into the water and towed to their ultimate destination.

Ships that ply on a regular scheduled service between groups of ports. The ships of a liner Company are common carriers, offering cargo space or passenger accommodation to all shippers and passengers who require them. A Liner Company is generally engaged on trade routes where volume of cargo or passenger traffic is available. Liner Conference : An organization whereby a number of ship owners offer services on given sea routes on conditions agreed by the members. A conference line ship is a vessel or a ship belonging to a member of such shipping conference.

Tankers are strongly constructed and fitted out to carry bulk liquids (e.g. crude oil). The effect of liquid cargo on the stability of the vessel is considerable. Therefore, tankers have wing tanks on either side of the centre tanks and no double bottom (though, now-a-days providing double bottom is compulsory). The tanks do not extend across and breadth of the tanker as one compartment but have extra strong longitudinal divisions. Includes Gas Carrier and Super Tankers. The term super tanker, VLCC (veer large crude carrier) and ULCC (ultra-larger crude carrier) are used for mammoth tankers of over 1000,000 DWT, 150,000 DWT to 300,000 DWT respectively.

These are cruise vessels or passenger liners which sail on voyages to distant areas of scenically but rocky or shallow coasts or near the icy water of the Arctic and Antarctic. Most of these vessels possess modern navigational systems, for example, satellite navigation, GP system.

A RO-RO Vessels is only having facility for shipping lorries, trailers, cars etc., without need for cranes. An increasing amount of cargo is carried in trucks and trailers which travel Direct from the shippers’ premises in the country of origin on the Ro-RO vessels via stern, bow or side doors, and delivered to the consignees’ premises at final destination point in the same vehicle. This is the mode of operation for ferries which also carry cars and buses and is also used by long-haul ocean going vessels. When Ro-Ro facility is used, the cargo remains on the same vehicles right from the time it leaves the premises of the shipper till it is delivered at the final destination point, Handling at ports is dispensed with.

Cargo ships operating in all parts of the world without a fixed route and sailing schedule in search of primarily bulk cargo carried generally in ship loads.