Merchant ship Facts for Kids

Historical merchant trading ship: a Dutch fluyt cargo vessel from the late 17th century

A merchant ship is a type of watercraft that carries goods or people for money. Unlike naval ships used by the military or pleasure craft for fun, merchant ships are all about business.

These ships come in many sizes and shapes. They can be small dive boats, large casino vessels, powerful tugboats, or giant oil tankers and container ships that are over 300-metre (1,000 ft) long! Some even carry passengers underwater, like submarines in the Caribbean.

Many merchant ships use a "flag of convenience". This means they are registered in a country different from where their owners live, like Liberia or Panama. These countries often have simpler rules for ships.

The Greek Merchant Marine has the biggest fleet of merchant ships in the world. About 16% of all the world's shipping capacity belongs to Greece!

During wars, merchant ships can help their country's navy. They might carry soldiers or military supplies.

What Are Merchant Ships Called?
Types of Merchant Ships
- Cargo Ships
- Passenger Ships
See also

What Are Merchant Ships Called?

Roll-on/roll-off vessel Galaxy Leader

Merchant ships often have special letters before their names. These letters tell you what kind of ship they are. Here are some common ones:

CS = Cable Ship (lays underwater cables)
LNG = Gas carrier (carries liquefied natural gas)
LPG = Gas carrier (carries liquefied petroleum gas)
MFV = Motor Fishing Vessel
MS = Motorship
MT = Motor Tanker or Motor Tug Boat
MV = Motor/Merchant Vessel
MY = Motor Yacht
NS = Nuclear Ship
RMS = Royal Mail Ship
RRS = Royal Research Ship
RV = Research Vessel
SS = Steam Ship
SV = Sailing vessel

Types of Merchant Ships

Merchant ships are grouped into different types based on what they carry. The main types are cargo ships and passenger ships.

Cargo Ships

General cargo vessel Namibia

A cargo ship, also called a freighter, carries goods and materials from one port to another. Thousands of these ships travel the world's oceans every year. They move most of the goods traded between countries. Cargo ships are built for this job and often have cranes to load and unload items.

Bulk Carriers

Bulk carrier Sabrina I

A bulk carrier transports loose cargo like iron ore, coal, cement, or grain. You can spot them by their large, box-like hatches on deck. These hatches open wide to make loading and unloading easy. The size of a bulk carrier often depends on the ports and canals it needs to use, like the Panama Canal.

Container Ships

Container ship Colombo Express built in 2005

A container ship carries its cargo in special, standardized boxes called containers. This way of shipping is called containerization. These ships are a very common sight in international trade.

Tankers

Crude oil supertanker AbQaiq

A tanker is a ship designed to carry liquids in large amounts. Tankers come in many sizes, from small ones for coastal towns to huge ones that carry hundreds of thousands of tons.

Tankers carry many different products, including:

Because different liquids need different care, there are special types of tankers. These include chemical tankers, oil tankers, and gas carriers.

Some oil tankers are called supertankers. They were built to carry oil around the Horn of Africa. The FSO Knock Nevis was once the biggest ship in the world. It was a ULCC supertanker and was about 458 meters (1,500 ft) long! Today's largest oil tankers include TI Europe and TI Asia.

Tankers are the main way to move large amounts of oil. However, if a tanker sinks near the coast, it can cause a terrible oil spill. Famous examples of oil spills from tankers include the Erika and Exxon Valdez.

Coastal Trading Vessels

Coastal trading vessels are smaller ships. They carry all kinds of cargo along coastlines, not across oceans. These "coasters" have shallow hulls. This lets them sail in shallower waters, over reefs, and into smaller ports. Ships that travel across oceans usually have much deeper hulls.

Passenger Ships

Cruise ship Ocean Countess

River cruise ship, Avalon Expression

A passenger ship's main job is to carry people. This group includes ocean liners, cruise ships, and ferries.

Ocean liners used to carry mail and other cargo along with passengers. They had cargo holds and cranes.
Modern cruiseferries have special decks for cars and trucks, as well as passengers.
A ferry is a boat or ship that carries passengers and sometimes their vehicles. Ferries can also transport freight in lorries or even railroad cars on a train ferry.

Merchant ship facts for kids

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