Shipping for dummies

When it comes to maritime shipping, few claim to be experts. Yet almost everyone involved in the logistics or supply chain industry (or in any industry for that matter) is in some way dependant on maritime transport

Operating out of some 3,000 deep sea ports around the globe, over 50,000 cargo ships are on the seas at any given time. Recognised as the safest and most environmentally friendly form of commercial transport, maritime shipping is responsible for 90 per cent of all world trade. Without it, transport of bulk raw materials and manufactured goods over such long distances would prove far too costly, if not impossible.

As the balance between global supply and demand ultimately depends on product availability, and the time required to acquire it, ships are always in high demand. Events like war, good or bad harvests, natural calamities and government subsidies, all to some degree, affect shipping. These days, with rising fuel costs and ever more emerging or volatile markets, maritime shipping is becoming more expensive. Yet the industry has never seen more demand. In 2007, the world’s fleet of cargo ships increased by some 8.8 per cent, while 2008 is expected to see a rise of 10 per cent.

Today, ships are specialised to the requirements of their cargo. Here are some of the more common types of cargo carriers:

Bulk carriers: Used primarily to transport cargo items such as cement, ore, rice or grain. It can be recognised by the large box-like hatches on its deck, designed to slide outboard for loading. These ships can carry upwards 365,000 tonnes at a time.

Container ships: Used to carry entire loads of truck-size containers, transporting the majority of the world’s dry cargo. The larger ships have the ability to carry some 15,000 containers at a time.

Tankers: Used to transport fluids such as crude oil, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and chemicals. There are just over 4,000 tankers in the world, with the largest class being the Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC), able to carry 550,000 DWT (Dead Weight Tonnage). Tankers comprise one third of the world’s shipping tonnage.

Reefer ships: Used to transport perishable commodities that require temperature controlled transportation, including fruits, meats, fish, vegetables, dairy products and other foodstuffs.

Roll on/Roll off (RoRo) ships: Specifically designed to carry wheeled cargo such as automobiles, trailers or railcars, having built-in ramps which allow the cargo to be efficiently “rolled on” and “rolled off” the vessel when in port.

BY THE NUMBERS

In 2006, over 7.4 billion tonnes of goods were transported by sea. Maritime transport is responsible for 90 per cent of all trade, yet contributes only 12 per cent to world’s pollution

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