Tomislav Skračić, MA
Undergraduate English
Course for
MARINE ENGINEERS
1st Semester
Essential reading:
SPINČIĆ, A., An English Textbook For Marine
Engineers I., Pomorski fakultet, Rijeka 2008.
LUZER, J., SPINČIĆ, A., Gramatička vježbenica
engleskog jezika za pomorce, Pomorski
fakultet, Rijeka 2003.
Types of vessels – 4
GENERAL CARGO SHIP
CONTAINER SHIPS
CRUISE SHIPS
BULK CARRIER
MULTIPURPOSE SHIP
HEAVY-LIFT SHIPS
SPECIAL-PURPOSE VESSELS
General cargo ship
The cargo holds on
these ships carry almost
any kind of cargo, both
piece goods and bulk
cargo.
The cargo is packed into drums, boxes, bags, bales and
crates or on pallets. The ship is loaded and unloaded using
portside cranes and ship’s derricks that lift the cargo
through the hatches and store it into the holds.
A general cargo ship has several large clear open cargocarrying holds. One or more decks may be present within
the holds. They are known as 'tween decks and they permit
cargo segregation and improved stability.
Container ships
Container ships are
part of the so-called
door-to-door concept
of transportation.
This system involves the loading of a container at the producer's
premises from where it is transported to the consumer without any
transfer of commodities during that transportation. Container ships are
very fast, with speeds up to 30 knots. They have carrying capacities from
1,000 up to 12,000 TEUs or more. TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) is the
size of the standard 20-foot container. Various types of containers exist for
the transportation of break bulk, liquid and refrigerated cargo. Cargohandling equipment is rarely fitted, since these ships travel between
specially equipped terminals to ensure rapid loading and discharge.
Cruise ships
Cruise ships provide
luxurious transport
between interesting
destinations in pleasant
climates.
There are restaurants, café bars, shops, swimming pools. cinemas
and other entertainment facilities for passengers. Aesthetically
pleasing lines are evident. Stabilizers are fitted to reduce rolling
whereas bow and stern thrusters are used to improve
manoeuvrability. Cruise liners range in size up to passengercarrying capacities of around 2400 (gross tonnage about 75,000).
Diesel-electric plants, producing as much as 40 MW, provide power
for propulsion, lighting, heating, air-conditioning and other needs.
Speeds are usually around 22 knots.
Bulk carriers convey cargoes such
as grain, sugar, iron ore, cement,
sand, etc. A bulk carrier is a singledeck vessel with the engine room
in the stern and a deckhouse
above it. The cargo carrying
section of the ship is divided into
holds or tanks. Wide hatches allow
fast loading and unloading of
cargo. Many bulk carriers do not
carry cargo handling equipment,
since they trade between special
terminals. They entirely depend on
port facilities for handling cargo.
Some bulk carriers are designed to
function also as tankers. Such
vessels are called Ore Bulk Oil
(OBO) carriers.
Bulk carrier
Double bottom, ballast tanks, wing tanks, cofferdam…
Almost all cargo ships are fitted with double bottom which adds
to the longitudinal strength and provides additional ballast space.
A double bottom is fitted along the ship's length and divided into
various tanks. These may be used for fuel, lubricating oils, fresh
water or ballast sea water.
Water ballast tanks can be filled when the ship is only partially
loaded in order to provide a sufficient draught for stability, better
weight distribution and better propeller immersion.
Wing tanks may be used for water ballast and can be used to
counter the heeling of the ship when discharging cargo.
In LNG, LPG, and oil tankers, the machinery space is separated
from the tank region by a cofferdam.
Multipurpose ship
The multipurpose ship is a general cargo vessel with advanced
lifting equipment and ability of carrying heavy lifts on deck.
Multipurpose vessels are designed to handle and stow a variety of
freight, including forest products, manufactured goods, heavy
equipment, vehicles, machinery, bagged goods, steel and food
products, and containers. Hatch openings are designed to fit
standard container sizes.
Heavy–lift ships
The heavy-lift ship is designed
to carry exceptionally heavy
loads and unusual cargoes
such as power plants, oil rigs,
generators, and yachts. The
cargo (even small vessels) can
be stowed aboard the ships by
a lift-on lift-off method using
the ship´s own cranes or by a
float-in float-out method where
the mother ship is partly
submerged under water during
loading and unloading the
cargo she is to carry.
SPECIAL-PURPOSE VESSELS
Special-purpose vessels are not
used for transport but are designed
to perform other specific tasks.
Examples include tugboats, pilot
boats, rescue boats, cable ships,
research vessels, survey vessels,
and ice breakers.
SPECIAL-PURPOSE VESSELS
Research vessels carry out a
number of tasks at sea. Some of
them collect plankton or water
samples from the sea and are
equipped with fish-finding equipment,
and laboratories. Other vessels are
used to conduct hydrographic and
seismic surveys of the seabed.
This information is useful
for producing navigational
charts for shipping, and for
detecting grounds which
are likely to bear oil or gas.
Cable-laying vessels, also called
cable layers, are specially designed
for laying and repairing telegraph and
telephone cables across channels,
seas and oceans.
Exercise: Match the vessel with its definition – 1
liners
• are vessels using engines
LNG carriers
• are vessels having two hulls
tramps
• are vessels having a single hull
power craft
• bring food, water, fuel, equipment etc. to oil
rigs and other offshore structures
monohulls
• ships designed to carry methane in its liquid
form at a temperature of -164°C
catamarans
• ships whose tanks are designed to transport
liquefied petroleum gas
LPG carriers
• ships that follow scheduled routes
supply ships
• they travel anywhere on unscheduled routes,
picking up any cargo
Exercise: Match the vessel with its definition – 2
RO-RO ships
• help large ships manoeuvre in confined
waters; pull and push other craft, and can be
used in fire fighting and SAR services
trawlers
• single-deck vessels transporting
consignments such as grain, wheat, ores…
towboat / tugs
• ships that carry oil and ore in bulk
barges
• catch fish and other living beings by dragging
the net across the seabed
OBO carriers
• large flat bottomed boats transporting goods
inland along waterways
bulk carriers
• allow cars and trucks to drive on and drive off
without having to load and unload their
freight. They have a limited accommodation
for crew, drivers and passangers.
Exercise: Match the vessel with its definition – 3
patrol boats
corvettes
• they transport crude oil or various refined
products obtained from crude oil
• vessels transporting standardised steel boxes
containing various cargo
research vessels
• boats like barges, used for taking goods from
a port to a ship, or vice versa
tankers
• vessels for monitoring territorial waters
lighters
• monitor territorial and national waters and
protect other ships from attack in the event of
war
container ships
• they are difficult to be discovered by radar
stealth ships
• engaged in exploration or exploitation of the
sea, the seabed or its subsoil.
Exercise: Match the vessel with its definition – 4
cruise ships
• shore-based vessels with special features for
SAR operation
ferries
• luxurious ships taking tourists to interesting
destinations in pleasant climates
hydrofoil craft
• they are often a combination of ro-ro and
passenger vessels. They serve as a link in a
transport system
tenders
• large sail or power boats, used for pleasure
trips and racing
rescue boats
• small boats, used for carrying people / goods
between larger boats and land
yachts
• vessels which reduce resistance by lifting the
main hull clear of the water