Category:Type of ships

Chemical cargoes can be transported in bulk or packaged in small packages like wooden crates, cylinders, steel drums, containers etc. depending on the type of hazardous material. In considering the associated dangers on board, it is essential to know the type and construction of the casualty. For instance, bulk carriers are designed to carry loose cargoes such as iron-ore. They are therefore strongly built with double bottoms, which in case of grounding is an advantage. Again, double sides minimize damage in collisions.

It is therefore very important to be fully informed as to the nature of the vessel itself, its location, and its stowage plan as soon as possible As such information can influence decisions on how to time and proceed with the response.

Figure 3 shows the ship types and numbers visiting the main European ports for 2008 (EUROSTAT, 2010). The total number of ships recorded is just over 2 million ships of which 53% are categorized as non-specialized general cargo carriers.

Liquid bulk carriers and dry bulk carriers account for only 5 and 2 % of these ships respectively. However, they account for 40 and 25% of goods handled. Again, container ships representing only 5% by number account for 18% of the goods handled in these ports.

The characteristics of the different ship types will be discussed in the following paragraphs.