General cargo ship carrying non-containerised goods — bagged, crated, palletised, or bundled — loaded and discharged piece by piece.
A breakbulk vessel carries general cargo that is not transported in standardised intermodal containers. Goods are stowed individually or in unit loads such as bags, bales, crates, pallets, coils of wire rod, or bundled timber — hence the term 'break bulk', referring historically to the breaking open of a ship's hold to discharge mixed cargo. Most breakbulk ships carry their own cargo gear (derricks or deck cranes) to work berths lacking shore equipment.
The breakbulk era peaked in the 1960s and was largely supplanted by containerisation from the 1970s onward. However, breakbulk shipping persists for commodities ill-suited to containers: forest products, steel products, heavy machinery, project equipment, and agri-products in bulk bags. Dedicated breakbulk operators (e.g., BBC Chartering, Intermarine) continue to run scheduled liner services to regions with limited container infrastructure.
Regulatory requirements include SOLAS Chapter VI (carriage of cargoes), the CSS Code for securing arrangements, and — where cargo includes dangerous goods — the IMDG Code. SOLAS Chapter II-1 governs structural and machinery standards, and the ISM Code (SOLAS Chapter IX) requires a documented Safety Management System for vessels engaged in international voyages. See the /reference/ship-types page for comparison with multipurpose and heavy-lift types.