Liquid Bulk Tankers

Shipping has always played a pivotal role in facilitating world trade with its ability to transport large volumes of cargoes at low costs. It connects major continents and links the manufacturers to their customers and suppliers.

There are various types of tankers which are designed to carry different kinds of cargoes ranging from crude oil to refined hydrocarbon products to liquefied natural gas and even fresh water.

Liquid bulk cargo is carried unpackaged in any quantity and usually transported by ships that are commonly referred to as tankers. Liquid cargoes also include crude oil, liquefied natural gas and chemicals, are not boxed, bagged or hand stowed.

The tanker is a very specialized vessel. It is designed to deal with bulk liquid cargoes permitting quick loading and discharge, thereby ensuring a fast turn-round.

Transportation of liquid bulk especially bulk chemicals by sea not only requires specialist ships and equipment, but also specialist crew training, both theoretical and practical, in order for those involved to understand the characteristics of the various chemicals and be aware of the potential hazards involved in handling them.

A challenge typical for liquid tankers is emission of cargo and environmental pollutions. A shipping accident involving spill and environmental pollution is apparently more often subject to public opinion and criticism.
Liquid Bulk Tankers

Cargo ship

Cargoes normally carried by sea can be split into 3 main categories:
• bulk-dry or liquid
• break bulk – known as general cargo (cases, pallets, drums)
• containers.

To carry these different types of cargo, different types of ships are used. Some vessels are specialized for the carriage of only one type of cargo, e.g. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carriers, while others are more versatile and can accommodate a variety of cargoes − e.g. general cargo.

General cargo ships are not specialized for transport of only dry bulks, only containers or only heavy-lift cargoes, but they have flexibility to carry any of these cargo types. General cargo ships are the world’s most numerous ship types, excepting fishing vessels.

The vessel is normally equipped with cranes and/or derricks. This type of vessel is making room for more specialized vessels. Now the majority of cargo is shipped in containers. Thus, there in no need for ships to have their own cargo handling gear and they rely entirely on shore facilities. Much of the general cargo carried now is of a type that cannot be readily packed into containers.

Container Ships are large, long ships that are specifically designed for carrying their cargo in containers. The containers are intermodal, meaning they can be transported by different modes of transportation, like via ship or truck.

Container liner services are specifically focused on the transport of a limited range of standardized unit loads: the twenty-foot dry-cargo container or TEU and the forty-foot dry-cargo container or FEU. Occasionally, slightly diverging container units are also loaded on container vessels, such as high cube containers, tank and open-top containers and 45- foot containers.
Cargo ship