ISEM Deck Cadets 3 : 2023 - 2024
Mohammed Rida EL MARIKY
Homework 2 - CARGO LINERS
(optional)
Basic terms
liner service fixed route
accommodation coastal trade
shipowner deep-sea trade
gear cargo handling
general cargo vehicle ferry
sailing schedule
Liner shipping is the most efficient mode of transport for goods. In one year, a
single large containership might carry over 200,000 container loads of cargo. While
individual ships vary in size and carrying capacity, many container ships can
transport up to 8,000 containers of goods and products on a single voyage.
Similarly, on a single voyage, some car carrier ships can handle 7,600 cars. It would
require hundreds of freight aircraft, many miles of rail cars, and fleets of trucks to
carry the goods that can fit on one large liner ship.
• Containerships have the capacity to carry several large warehouses worth of
goods on a single journey.
• Large containerships can be operated by teams of just thirteen people utilizing
sophisticated computer systems.
• The ships' computer systems are highly advanced, enabling the precise
routing, transport, loading and unloading of thousands of containers for every
voyage.
• If all the containers from an 11,000 TEU ship were loaded onto a train, it
would need to be 44 miles or 77 kilometers long.
• A container of refrigerators can be moved from a factory in Malaysia to Los
Angeles -- a journey of roughly 9,000 miles or 14,484 kilometers -- in just 16
days.
• The cost to transport a bicycle from Thailand to the UK in a container is about
US$10. The typical cost for shipping a DVD/CD player from Asia to Europe or
the U.S. is roughly US$1.50; a kilogram of coffee just fifteen cents, and a can
of limonade - a penny.
The type of merchant vessel is determined basically by the traffic carried. Broadly
speaking there are three main divisions: liners, tramps and specialized vessels
such as tankers. These are vessels that operate on a regular scheduled service
between groups of ports. Liner services offer cargo space or passenger
accommodation to all shippers and passengers who require them. They sail on
scheduled dates, irrespective of whether they are full or not. Therefore, in liner
operation the regular scheduled service is the basis of this particular type of ships,
and it is vitally important to the shipowner that everything is done to keep sailing and
arrival dates.
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A cargo liner therefore is a vessel which operates a regular scheduled service on a
fixed route between designated ports and carries many consignments of different
commodities.
Cargo liners, or freighters as they are often called in US, are ships designed to
carry general cargo (conventional cargo), although a few of them can also have
accommodation for up to twelve passengers. Such vessels operate on fixed routes,
serving a group of ports and operate on fixed sailing schedules - the vessel
departing whether she is full or not. Their capacity varies from 200 d.w.t.
(deadweight) with two holds in the short sea and coastal trades, to 25,000 d.w.t. with
six holds or more, in the Mediterranean and deep-sea trades.
Their speed varies from 13 to 22 knots in the deep sea and Mediterranean trades
where the majority of the liners are found. They require efficient cargo handling
gear to serve all hatches, including a jumbo derrick capable of dealing with heavy
lifts. In many cargo liners, refrigerated accommodation, together with deep tanks for
liquid cargo, is provided.
In the last three decades container ships capable of conveying up to 15,000
containers or TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) with a speed up to 23 knots have
appeared in many liner cargo trades. This transformation will continue and probably
the vessels will become larger. In the Short Sea Trades, vehicle ferries often
described as roll-on/roll-off ships carrying cars, passengers, and road haulage
vehicles are prominent.
Today there are almost 6,000 liners ships, mostly containerships, operating in liner
services with most built since 1980. Liner ships have the capacity to carry several
warehouses-worth of goods, which makes one journey very efficient. In an average
year a large container ship travels three-quarters of the distance to the moon.
Some of the world's biggest container ships are about 1,300 feet long - that's nearly
400 meters or the distance around an Olympic running track - with a maximum width
of 180 feet (55 meters). Their engines weigh 2,300 tons, their propellers 130 tons,
and there are twenty-one storeys between their bridge and their engine room. They
can be operated by teams of just thirteen people and a sophisticated computer
system and carry an astonishing 15,000 20-foot containers.
Container ship operators can either deploy ships that they own, or they can charter
the ships for operation from a ship broker. Most container ship operators deploy both
owned and chartered ships.
According to Alphaliner, the global container fleet had a total capacity of almost 17
million TEU in July 2013. Container ships come in a variety of sizes and have grown
increasingly larger over time. This resulted from two things: the first was the
increased use of containerization - as more cargo was converted to containers,
there were more containers for the ships to carry; the second was that there were
certain efficiencies - like improved fuel efficiency - that could be realized with larger
ships. Those efficiency improvements often reduced the operating cost
About 20 percent of liner vessels are ships other than container ships. Liner ships
also include some car and truck carriers designed specifically to handle passenger
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vehicles and trucks, but which can often also accommodate buses, commercial
trucks, tractors bull dozers and the like. Some ro/ro ships are also included. They
can handle not only the drivable vehicles that are accommodated on car carriers,
but usually project and heavy lift cargo as well. This cargo is typically too large or
too heavy to be moved on container vessels.
General cargo vessels and multi-purpose vessel often operate on liner services.
The holds of these vessels can usually accommodate both containers and breakbulk
cargo, and sometimes they are equipped with their own crane for loading and
unloading cargo. This makes them self-sustaining because they do not require
shore-side cranes for port operations.
A. Comprehension & vocabulary
A.1 Tick the sentences to show which are true or false.
1. Liners sail only when they are full.
2. Freighters can also carry a dozen passengers.
3. Liners are not used in deep-sea service.
4. Cargo liners carry bulk cargo.
5. Liners operate on fixed routes.
6. Container ships are used in the liner trade.
7. Ro-ro ships carry both vehicles and passengers.
8. Container ships use their own cargo gear to load and unload
containers.
A.2 Supply the following missing terms:
• car-ferries • conventional • merchant ships • schedule • routes
• service • liners • departure • short-sea • containerized
• deep-sea
1. ____________ can operate as liners.
2. These ships are employed on regular _____________ and on fixed
__________ .
3. The dates of their arrival and _____________ are published in sailing lists
or cards.
4. _____________ sail whether they are full or not.
5. Cargo liners sail on _____________ and _____________ routes.
6. Liners are employed today to carry both _____________ and
_____________ cargo.
7. ____________ also operate as liners carrying passengers, cars and road
vehicles across channels on a daily or weekly _____________ .
A3 Supply the missing term
The type of merchant vessel is determined basically by the ________ carried.
Broadly speaking there are three main divisions: liners, tramps and specialized
vessels such as ________. These are vessels that operate on a regular ________
service between groups of ports. Liner services offer ________ or passenger
________ to all shippers and passengers who require them. They ________ on
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scheduled dates, irrespective of whether they are full or not. Therefore, in liner
operation the regular scheduled
________ is the basis of this particular type of ships, and it is vitally important to the
shipowner that everything is done to keep sailing and arrival ________.
A cargo liner is a vessel which ________ a regular scheduled service on a fixed
________ between designated ports and carries many ________ of different
commodities.
A4 Supply the missing part of the sentence
Cargo liners, or freighters ……………………. in US, are ships designed to carry
general cargo (conventional cargo), although a few of them can also have
accommodation for up to twelve passengers. Such vessels operate
……………………., serving a group of ports and operate on fixed sailing schedules -
the vessel departing …………………. . Their capacity varies from 200 d.w.t.
(deadweight) with two holds …………………….., to 25,000 d.w.t. with six holds or
more, in the Mediterranean and deep-sea trades.
Their speed varies from 13 to 22 knots in the deep sea and Mediterranean trades
………………………. . They require efficient cargo handling gear ……………..,
including a jumbo derrick capable of dealing with heavy lifts. In many cargo liners,
refrigerated accommodation, …………………………..., is provided.
whether she is full
or not
as they are often
called
together with deep tanks for liquid
cargo to serve all hatches
on fixed routes
in the short sea and coastal trades
where the majority of the liners are
found
A5. Summarize the reading text by answering the following questions
1. What are the main divisions of merchant vessels?
2. Where do liners operate?
3. What do liner services offer?
4. What is the basis of the liner service?
5. What kind of cargo do liners usually carry?
6. What are some of the basic design features of such vessels?
7. What is used in the loading/discharge of cargo liners?
8. Are freighters also designed to carry refrigerated cargo?
9. What are the recent types of liners?
10. What is a vehicle ferry?
11. What are vehicles ferries also called?
12. What does TEU stand for?
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13. What is this unit used for
