Vessel types — what it's like to work on each kind of ship

Cellular container vessels — feeders, panamax, post-panamax, ULCV. The backbone of liner trades.

Single-deck vessels carrying solid bulk cargoes — iron ore, coal, grain, bauxite, fertilisers.

Roll-on / roll-off cargo vessels — trailers, project cargo, sometimes paired with passenger accommodation (ro-pax).

Pure Car Carriers + Pure Car & Truck Carriers — high-sided ro-ros for the global vehicle trade.

Multi-purpose, project-cargo, and break-bulk vessels — the workhorse of regional trades.

Dedicated refrigerated cargo ships — palletised fruit, meat, seafood. Substantially displaced by refrigerated containers but a specialist ~500-ship fleet remains active on premium routes (Latin-American bananas, Chilean + New Zealand fruit, Norwegian salmon).

Multi-purpose heavy-lift vessels — deck cargo + hold + tween-decks + twin 250-800 tonne cranes. Carry project cargo (wind turbines, gantry cranes, refinery modules) not otherwise economically transportable. BigLift Shipping (Spliethoff), Jumbo Shipping, SAL Heavy Lift, AAL.

Crude (VLCC, Suezmax, Aframax) + product carriers (LR1/2, MR). MARPOL Annex I + ISGOTT compliant.

IBC Code Type 1 / 2 / 3 tankers carrying noxious liquid substances under MARPOL Annex II.

Membrane (Mark III, NO96) and Moss-type LNG carriers under the IGC Code. Cryogenic cargo at -162°C.

Fully refrigerated, semi-refrigerated, fully pressurised — IGC Code Type 1G / 2G / 2PG / 3G.

Large hotel-side crew complement (often 1,000+), marine crew under the Master, parallel hotel structure under the Hotel Director.

Short-sea ferries, ro-pax, and large ro-ro / passenger combinations. SOLAS Chapter II-2 watertight integrity is central.

Platform supply vessels (PSV), anchor handlers (AHTS), construction support — DP class 1 / 2 / 3.

Offshore vessels with anchor-handling, towing, and supply capability — high-power machinery and specialised deck gear.

Dedicated supply vessels carrying bulk + deck cargo to offshore installations.

Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV), Service Operation Vessels (SOV), and Walk-to-Work (W2W) vessels supporting offshore wind installations. The fastest-growing offshore segment in 2026.

Specialist DP2 / DP3 vessels installing + repairing submarine power cables (offshore wind, interconnectors) and telecommunications cables (transatlantic + intra-Asia routes).

Harbour tugs (assist + escort), terminal escort tugs, ocean-going salvage / towing tugs.

Specialised vessels carrying live cattle + sheep — dominant on Australia → Middle East + Ireland/Uruguay/Brazil → Middle East + North Africa trades. Notable Gulf Livestock 1 (2020, all crew lost + ~5,800 cattle) drove global regulatory review.

Catcher + factory vessels under STCW-F. Distant-water fleets cover months at sea.

Oceanographic, hydrographic, polar science, fisheries research vessels — public and academic operators.

Trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHD), cutter suction dredgers (CSD), backhoe dredgers, and grab / bucket dredgers — maintaining navigation channels, reclaiming land, and supporting marine construction.

Commercial yachts (>24 m, >500 GT for some rules) under MCA / RMI / Cayman Red Ensign codes; private yachts on day rates.

Every onboard role explained.

Cadet to OOW, OS to AB, tanker, LNG, offshore, yacht.

Generated cert list by department / rank / vessel.

Rank × vessel × region wage ranges.

Shipboard safety topics that cut across vessel types.