Cargo ship

A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usually specially designed for the task, often being equipped with cranes and other mechanisms to load and unload, and come in all sizes. Today, they are almost always built by welded steel, and with some exceptions generally have a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years before being scrapped.

Types

Cargo ships/freighters can be divided into five groups, according to the type of cargo they carry. These groups are:

  • General cargo vessels
  • Tankers
  • Dry bulk carriers
  • Multi-purpose vessels
  • Reefer ships
  • General cargo vessels carry packaged items like chemicals, foods, furniture, machinery, motor- and military vehicles, footwear, garments, etc.

    Tankers carry petroleum products or other liquid cargo.

    Dry bulk carriers carry coal, grain, ore and other similar products in loose form.

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    Latest News for: Cargo ship

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    Ports of LA, Long Beach, could see cargo dip with new tariffs

    Daily Breeze 05 Apr 2025
    The ports have continued to see record cargo numbers this year as importers scrambled to ship goods ahead of anticipated tariffs ... LA port cargo is up, but for how long? New tariffs creates uncertainty, port leader says.
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    US moves 6 B-2 stealth bombers to Indian Ocean amid tensions with Iran, Houthis: Report

    India TV 05 Apr 2025
    Along with the bombers, tankers and cargo ships are also at Diego Garcia, which is a joint US-British base located ...
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    More torrential rain and flash flooding expected in heavily waterlogged South and Midwest

    The Call 05 Apr 2025
    HOPKINSVILLE, Ky ... Extreme flooding across a corridor that includes Louisville, Kentucky and Memphis — which have major cargo hubs — could also lead to shipping and supply chain delays, said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather ... .
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    South and Midwest pounded by rains and floods while still reeling from tornadoes

    WPTV 05 Apr 2025
    Tennessee Gov ... Extreme flooding across a corridor that includes Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis — which have major cargo hubs — could also lead to shipping and supply chain delays, said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather ... .
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    South and Midwest face potentially catastrophic rains and floods while reeling from tornadoes

    Jacksonville Daily News 05 Apr 2025
    LAKE CITY, Ark ... Extreme flooding across the corridor that includes Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis, which have major cargo hubs, could also lead to shipping and supply chain delays, said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather ... .
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    Lessons learned: A second dedicated lookout is a requirement

    SAFETY4SEA 04 Apr 2025
    In its latest Safety Digest, UK MAIB references a case in which a distracted officer of the watch, engrossed in a tablet, failed to maintain a proper lookout, leading to a collision between a cargo ship and a dredge spoil barge. .
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    Lessons learned: Effective coordination is a prerequisite for safe pilotage

    SAFETY4SEA 04 Apr 2025
    In its latest Safety Digest, UK MAIB references a case in which a routine night time departure turned disastrous when a cargo ship collided with a pilot vessel after a miscommunication between the pilot and master.
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    Russian Oil Stuck On India-Banned Ship Finds New Tanker

    gCaptain 04 Apr 2025
    Apr 4, 2025 (Bloomberg) –A cargo of Russian crude that was on a ship rejected by Indian port authorities is now being transferred to another tanker, ship-tracking data show, a sign of how ...
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    Tanker Barred From India, Transferring its Russian oil at Sea

    MarineLink 04 Apr 2025
    An ageing tanker loaded with Russian oil that was barred by Indian authorities is transferring its cargo to a second ship to complete the delivery, according to two sources and ship tracking data.
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    World-first wind-powered containership to have 11,300 sq ft total sail area

    Interesting Engineering 04 Apr 2025
    Windcoop has turned Turkey’s RMK Marine to build the first open-hatch, sail-powered cargo ship ... In August 2024, the world’s largest sailing cargo ship, Anemos, officially set sail on its maiden voyage.
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    Tanker barred from India transferring its Russian oil at sea, sources say

    Hindustan Times 04 Apr 2025
    NEW DELHI, - An ageing tanker loaded with Russian oil that was barred by Indian authorities is transferring its cargo to a second ship to complete the delivery, according to two sources and ship tracking data.
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    Two European River Cruise Boats Suffer Collisions in One Week

    The Maritime Executive 04 Apr 2025
    On Saturday, a Dutch river cruise vessel collided with a Dutch inland cargo vessel near Voerde-Spellen, Germany, just downriver from Duisberg on the Rhine ... and unnamed cargo vessel collided mid-river.
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    Trump revokes duty-free access for Chinese e-commerce shipments

    Freight Waves 04 Apr 2025
    The action is expected to upend e-commerce supply chains and could hurt the air cargo industry, which moves most cross-border packages for online retailers ... Shipping changes to impact cargo airlines.
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    Construction Order Placed for World’s First Sail-Powered Containership

    The Maritime Executive 04 Apr 2025
    The French cooperative Windcoop completed the construction order for its revolutionary open-hatch sail-powered cargo ship, the first of what the group envisions will be a pioneering fleet of ships.
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    Sens. Cruz, Padilla Introduce Bill to Improve Fog Forecasting, Boost Vessel Safety at Ports

    Texas Border Business 04 Apr 2025
    This past February, widespread fog in Houston caused significant disruption to the city’s port operations, impacting the Houston Ship Channel’s navigation for nearly two weeks and ultimately reducing cargo flows through the port.
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