TABLE OF CONTENTS This chapter is a journalistic review of ships in operation at the present time. The first indicator for the size of a ship is usually the deadweight (dwt) measured in tonnes and the dwt is the weight a ship carries.
With some designs, like Passenger Liners, the size can be indicated by the Gross Tonnage (GT) measured in tuns. With Gas Carriers, it is usually the volume of gas carried, measured in cubic metres. The size of a Tug is gauged by the value of the bollard pull, measured in tonnes.
Ships are the largest moving structures designed and built by man. The following notes illustrate the characteristics relating to several ship types such as:
Oil Tankers
Product/Chemical Carriers
OBOs and Ore Carriers
Bulk Carriers
General Cargo ships
Gas Carriers
Passenger Liners
Container ships
RO-RO ferries
Tugs
Hydrofoils/Hovercraft
SWATH (Ship With A Twin Hull) designs.
These vessels may be split into three groups, namely the medium size tankers, the Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) or Supertankers and the Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCCs). By definition, Oil Tankers are ships that carry liquid in bulk. They are slow-moving full-form vessels. Table 10.1 shows the Main Dimensions for these ships.
| Type of ship | Typical dwt (tonnes) | LBP (m) | Br. Mld (m) | Typical C B fully loaded | Service speed (kt) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium size | 50000 100000 | 175 250 | 25 40 | 0.800 0.820 | 15.00 15.75 |
| VLCCs and ULCCs | 100000 565000 | 250 440 | 40 70 | 0.820 0.850 | 13 15.75 |
Since 1994...
