What is a Bulk Carrier Ship Used For?

What is a Bulk Carrier Ship Used For?

In this article, we explore questions such as: what is a bulk carrier ship in simple terms, what is it used for, and what are its main characteristics.

Transportation via water routes remains one of the most in-demand and cost-effective methods of delivering goods. It allows bypassing multiple countries without delays at customs, and the capacity of water routes is much higher than that of road or rail transport.

Since cargo varies, different types of ships are needed to transport it. Some ships are designed for packaged goods, while others are for bulk cargo.

Bulk carriers are ships designed to transport bulk or liquid cargo. These include:

• Grain;
• Coal;
• Timber;
• Petroleum products.

In other words, all cargo that does not require packaging.

How is a bulk carrier different from a dry cargo ship?

Firstly, in terms of capacity—bulk carriers can transport significantly more goods. Secondly, in terms of equipment. Dry cargo ships are not designed for loading/unloading goods at intermediate points, whereas a bulk carrier can enter any port and unload cargo, as the technical characteristics of some types of ships allow this.

Characteristics of a Bulk Carrier Ship

Ships are classified by:

• Navigation area (local, international);
• Size;
• Type of cargo transported.

The purpose of the ship determines its technical characteristics. They can be of combined type (e.g., ore-oil carriers), universal, and may or may not be fully or partially equipped with loading/unloading equipment.

The smallest ships—mini bulk carriers—have a capacity of up to 10,000 tons and are designed for domestic cargo transportation. The largest international bulk carriers can transport up to 320,000 tons across the ocean. These ships can be up to 400 meters long, 59 meters wide, and have a draft of 14.5 meters.