Vessel sub-classes
53 hand-authored sub-class deep-dives covering the specific size + cargo + route archetypes within each broad vessel category. Each entry: size envelope, LOA, crew, cargo, route archetype, and career context.
bulker sub-classes (8)
- Handysize bulker10,000-40,000 DWT · Regional + short-haul
The most flexible bulker category. Grain + steel + logs + minor bulks. Frequent port calls + diverse cargo mix; often coastal or short-haul trades. Older + smaller fleet segment.…
- Handymax + Supramax bulker40,000-60,000 DWT · Intra-Pacific + Atlantic-Pacific
Handymax + Supramax cover 40-60k DWT. Grain trade backbone. TCE tracks Chinese soy import + Argentine grain export.…
- Ultramax bulker60,000-65,000 DWT · Global
Modern eco-Ultramax (post-2013) with efficient hull form + engine. Rapidly displacing older Supramax tonnage. Charter market intermediate between Supramax + Panamax bulker.…
- Panamax bulker65,000-90,000 DWT · Trans-Pacific + Atlantic
Panama Canal-transit-capable bulker. Coal + iron ore + grain long-haul trades. Charter market highly volatile — TCE tracks Chinese steel + coal demand.…
- Kamsarmax bulker80,000-85,000 DWT · West Africa → Asia bauxite + coal
Named after Port of Kamsar, Guinea — a bauxite-export port with specific draft limits. Larger than Panamax within Panama Canal beam. West African bauxite + Australian coal trades.…
- Post-Panamax bulker90,000-120,000 DWT · Long-haul iron ore + coal
Between Panamax + Capesize. Iron ore + coal long-haul trades. Post-2016 Neo-Panamax expansion opened new routing options.…
- Capesize150,000-220,000 DWT · Around Cape of Good Hope / Cape Horn
Too large to transit either Suez or Panama; routes around Cape of Good Hope + Cape Horn. Iron ore + coal to Asia dominates. Charter market highly cyclical.…
- VLOC (Very Large Ore Carrier) / Valemax200,000-400,000 DWT · Brazil → Asia iron ore
Ultra-large iron-ore carriers. Vale (Brazil) drove the Valemax class (400k DWT) 2011-2014. Route: Ponta da Madeira, Brazil → Chinese ports.…
container sub-classes (5)
- Feeder container1,000-3,000 TEU · Regional feeder
Feeder-tier container ships. Regional feeder routes serving hub-and-spoke networks. Baltic + Mediterranean + intra-Asia. Shorter contracts + higher port frequency.…
- Feedermax container3,000-5,000 TEU · Regional + intermediate
Larger feeder + intermediate deep-sea. Intra-Asia + Trans-Atlantic secondary + North-South.…
- Panamax container5,000-8,500 TEU · Original Panama Canal + regional
Original Panama Canal-transit-capable container ship (pre-2016 expansion). Now mostly regional + North-South trades post-Neo-Panamax opening.…
- Neo-Panamax container13,000-14,500 TEU · Asia ↔ US East Coast via Panama; Trans-Atlantic
Sized to transit Panama's Neo-Panamax locks (opened 2016). Asia → US East Coast + Trans-Atlantic. Charter market major segment 2020-2028.…
- ULCV / Megamax-2422,000-24,000 TEU · Asia ↔ Europe pendulum
Ultra Large Container Vessel + Megamax-24 class. Asia → Europe pendulum via Suez. Cutting-edge automation. Only ~20 terminals worldwide can handle. See /disasters for Ever Given (Suez blockage 2021).…
dredger sub-classes (1)
- Dredger (TSHD / CSD / backhoe)2,000-40,000 m³ hopper · Global — port + reclamation + offshore
Dredgers move sea-floor material for navigation channels, port expansion, coastal reclamation, and offshore oil-and-gas installation site prep. TSHD (Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger): self-loading via…
gas-carrier sub-classes (8)
- Q-Max LNG carrier266,000 m³ · Qatar → NE Asia
The Q-Max class (Qatar Max) — 266,000 m³ LNG capacity. Introduced 2008, tied for largest LNG carriers ever built. Qatar → Japan/Korea/Taiwan route dominates. Operationally demanding — LNG at -162°C wi…
- Q-Flex LNG carrier210,000 m³ · Qatar → Asia + Europe
Q-Flex class — 210,000 m³, smaller sister to Q-Max. Wider global reach than Q-Max due to draft flexibility. Qatar → Europe + Asia.…
- Meshaal LNG carrier170,000-180,000 m³ · Qatar + US Gulf → Asia + Europe
Meshaal class + similar 170-180k m³ LNG carriers. Modern conventional-size LNG fleet. Qatar + US Gulf export → Asia + Europe.…
- VLGC (Very Large Gas Carrier)78,000-93,000 m3 · Middle East to NE Asia (dominant); US Gulf to Asia and Europe
The dominant LPG size class carrying propane and butane between Middle East and US Gulf loading terminals and Asian and European receivers. Fully refrigerated at atmospheric pressure (approx -42C for …
- MGC (Mid-Size Gas Carrier)20,000-40,000 m3 · Regional intra-Asia, Med, Baltic
Mid-size gas carrier - bridge between VLGCs and smaller pressurised carriers. Semi-refrigerated design typical. Some MGCs carry ethylene at -104C or ammonia. Regional trades in confined seas where VLG…
- Handysize LPG / pressurised coaster3,000-11,000 m3 · Coastal and intra-regional
Pressurised LPG carriers carrying propane and butane in cylindrical pressure vessels rather than refrigerated tanks. Coaster trades in Med, N Europe, Southeast Asia. Simple and reliable design; older-…
- Ethylene carrier6,000-27,000 m3 · Global chemical and petrochemical trades
Semi-refrigerated gas carrier certified for ethylene at -104C - much colder than LPG. Cargo containment system typically Type C independent tanks with sub-cooling. Dominant petrochemical trades betwee…
- VLEC (Very Large Ethane Carrier)~98,000 m3 · US Gulf to China (dominant)
Very Large Ethane Carrier - the fastest-growing gas-carrier segment. Introduced 2015; Panda-class + Voyager-class + newer generation. Ethane at -89C to Chinese petrochemical crackers. Dominant operato…
heavy-lift sub-classes (1)
- Semi-submersible heavy-lift70,000-115,000 DWT · Global — heavy-transport contract
Semi-submersible heavy-lift vessel: ballasts down until the cargo deck submerges below cargo waterline, receives the floating cargo (typically a jack-up drilling rig, semi-submersible rig, warship, or…
heavy-lift-mpp sub-classes (1)
- Heavy-lift / MPP (Multi-Purpose) project vessel12,000-25,000 DWT + 2 x 250-800 t cranes · Global project trades
Multi-purpose heavy-lift vessel. Deck cargo + hold + tween-decks + twin heavy-lift cranes. BigLift Shipping (Spliethoff), Jumbo Shipping, SAL Heavy Lift, Rickmers Line legacy, AAL Shipping. Growing se…
livestock sub-classes (1)
- Livestock carrier5,000-25,000 GT · Australia to Middle East (dominant); Ireland + Uruguay + Brazil to Middle East + N Africa
Specialised vessel carrying live cattle and sheep. Multi-tiered pens + ventilation + fresh-water production + fodder handling. Australian Livestock Export Program governs. Notable Gulf Livestock 1 (20…
offshore sub-classes (5)
- Drillship (MODU)~50,000 GT · Global offshore
Dynamically-positioned drillship. Deepwater drilling in West Africa + Brazil + Gulf of Mexico + North Sea. DP2 or DP3 class. Very high-paying DP officer + drill crew berths.…
- AHTS (Anchor Handling Tug Supply)5,000-25,000 BHP · North Sea + Gulf of Mexico + West Africa + Brazil + SE Asia
Anchor Handling Tug Supply — combined rig-supply vessel + heavy-tow tug for anchor handling on drilling rigs and FPSOs. Fitted with high-bollard-pull propulsion, aft working deck, stern roller + towin…
- PSV (Platform Supply Vessel)3,000-6,000 DWT · Offshore field service
Platform Supply Vessel — dedicated cargo delivery from shore base to offshore drilling rigs, FPSOs, and production platforms. Aft deck for pallet + tank cargo; typically DP1 or DP2. Rank profile: Mast…
- MPSV (Multi-Purpose Supply Vessel)4,000-8,000 DWT · Global offshore
Multi-Purpose Supply Vessel — larger than PSV, fitted with heavy-lift crane (typically 100-400t), moonpool, ROV hangar, saturation-diving support (or space for it), and DP2 or DP3. Deployed on subsea …
- FPSO / FSU / FLNG100,000-450,000 DWT · On-station at offshore field
Floating Production Storage & Offloading (FPSO): full offshore production plant + storage + offtake to shuttle tanker. FSU (Floating Storage Unit): storage-only. FLNG (Floating LNG): liquefies gas at …
offshore-construction sub-classes (9)
- Cable-lay vessel12,000-25,000 GT · Global — subsea cable installation + repair
Specialised vessel for laying subsea telecommunications + power cable. Fitted with cable-storage tanks (up to 8,000 tonnes cable), cable-laying gear + plough, and DP2 or DP3. Owners: Alcatel Submarine…
- Pipe-lay vessel (S-lay / J-lay / reel-lay)20,000-100,000 GT · Global offshore-oil-and-gas
Specialised vessel for offshore pipeline construction. S-lay: welded pipe segments assembled on the vessel + laid via a stinger over the stern (traditional shallow-water). J-lay: pipe laid nearly vert…
- WTIV (Wind Turbine Installation Vessel)DP2/DP3 jack-up; ~150-200 m LOA; 2,500-3,500 t crane · European (Baltic, North Sea) and US East Coast and Chinese and Taiwanese offshore wind farms
The boom segment of the offshore-wind supply chain. Specialised jack-up vessels with large cranes (2,500-3,500 tonne capacity) installing wind turbines up to 15 MW / 260-meter tip height. Voltaire (Ja…
- DSV (Diving Support Vessel)DP2/DP3; ~90-150 m LOA · Global oil and gas and increasingly offshore wind
Diving Support Vessel - specialised platform for saturation and surface-mixed-gas diving supporting subsea oil + gas + offshore-wind construction + IMR. Onboard sat chamber for 12-18 divers. Global op…
- Semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV)Semi-sub; ~200 m LOA; 6,000-20,000 t crane capacity · Global oil and gas and offshore wind mega-projects
Semi-submersible crane vessel - the specialist heavy-lift class. Sleipnir (Heerema, 2019, 20,000t twin-crane, the largest in the world), Thialf (Heerema, 14,200t), Saipem 7000 (14,000t). Distinct from…
- Well intervention vesselDP2; ~130-180 m LOA · Global oil and gas offshore fields
Vessels supporting well intervention (workover, plug and abandonment, well-stimulation) without a drilling rig - cheaper alternative for producing well maintenance and P and A. Growing segment as offs…
- ERRV (Emergency Response + Rescue Vessel) / Standby vessel~40-70 m LOA · North Sea, US Gulf, offshore fields globally
Small dedicated vessel required in the safety zone of most offshore installations. UK ERRV framework is the strictest - 24/7 station-keeping + rescue-ready + oil-spill response. Career entry-point for…
- Seismic survey vesselDP2; ~90-110 m LOA; 8-14 streamers x 8-12 km · Global exploration and production seismic surveys
Specialised survey vessel towing 8-14 seismic streamers up to 8-12 km each for 3D and 4D subsurface imaging. PGS, TGS, Shearwater GeoServices. Distinctive silhouette - the streamers deploy in a fan be…
- Rock installation / fallpipe vessel~150-190 m LOA; 30,000-100,000 t rock capacity · European offshore wind and subsea cable/pipeline stabilisation globally
Specialised vessel installing graded rock via a fallpipe onto subsea infrastructure (cables + pipelines + wind turbine bases) for scour protection and stabilisation. Van Oord, Jan De Nul, DEME. Growin…
passenger sub-classes (6)
- Mega-cruise ship200,000+ GT · Caribbean, Mediterranean (dominant); Alaska, Northern Europe seasonal
The largest cruise ships ever built. Icon-class + Oasis-class + Wonder-class. Complex hospitality-shipping hybrid workplace with wide-ranging seafarer specialisations from bridge and engineering to en…
- Large cruise ship100,000-180,000 GT · Global cruise itineraries
Mainstream large cruise segment. Freedom-class, Voyager-class, most modern MSC + Costa + P and O + Princess ships. Global itineraries. Best pay:responsibility ratio for cruise deck and engineering off…
- Mid-size premium / luxury cruise30,000-70,000 GT · Global itineraries with premium destinations
Premium and luxury cruise segment - Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Viking Ocean. Higher crew:pax ratio and higher hospitality service standards. Pay tier higher for deck and engineer…
- Expedition and polar cruise8,000-30,000 GT · Polar (Antarctic, Arctic), remote destinations
Expedition and polar cruise vessels - Hurtigruten Expeditions, Ponant, Silversea Cruises expedition arm, Aurora Expeditions, Lindblad and National Geographic. Polar Code compliance mandatory. Ice-clas…
- River cruise vessel2,000-6,000 GT · European rivers (Rhine, Danube, Rhone, Douro); Nile; Mekong; Amazon
River cruise segment. Small ship, close-quarters operation. Dominant on European rivers. Different STCW pathway - inland navigation certificates + specific-river local pilotage. Growing segment; subst…
- Ro-Pax ferry20,000-70,000 GT · Baltic, Med, N Sea, English Channel, Japan, Southeast Asia
Ro-Ro Passenger ferry - combined car/lorry deck and passenger accommodation. Baltic (Tallink, DFDS, Viking Line), Med (Grimaldi, GNV, Moby), Channel (P and O, DFDS), Southeast Asia. Highly-safety-focu…
reefer sub-classes (1)
- Reefer (conventional refrigerated cargo ship)8,000-30,000 DWT · Latin America to Europe / US; NZ and Chile to global
Conventional reefer segment - refrigerated cargo hold + palletised loading. Displaced substantially by refrigerated containers on container ships since 2000s. Remaining fleet ~500 ships operating spec…
tanker sub-classes (7)
- VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier)200,000-320,000 DWT · Arabian Gulf → Far East + long-haul crude
The largest sea-going tankers, dedicated to long-haul crude routes. Arabian Gulf → Japan/Korea/China is the classic VLCC pendulum. Modernised fleet + long sea legs make VLCC officer contracts the slee…
- Suezmax150,000-200,000 DWT · West Africa → Europe/US; Baltic → Europe
Sized to transit Suez Canal fully laden. West African crude to Europe + US + Baltic crude flows are the dominant routes. Post-2016 Neo-Panamax lock expansion has not affected Suez sizing. Charter mark…
- Aframax80,000-120,000 DWT · Baltic + Mediterranean + Caribbean regional
Trans-Atlantic Freight Rate Association reference class. Baltic ice-class Aframax operators command officer premium. Frequent port + short-leg trades; contract-length rotations shorter than VLCC.…
- Panamax tanker60,000-80,000 DWT · Regional refined product distribution
Panama Canal-transit-capable product tanker. Refined petroleum distribution + coastwise trades. Higher-frequency port calls + more diverse cargo mix than crude sisters.…
- MR (Medium Range) tanker40,000-55,000 DWT · Regional + short-haul refined product
The workhorse of the clean product trade. Ras Tanura → Rotterdam gasoil, Gulf Coast → Latin America gasoline, Singapore → Asia distillates. MR fleet is the most numerous tanker segment.…
- LR1 (Long Range 1) tanker55,000-80,000 DWT · Long-haul refined petroleum
Long-range product tanker for extended clean cargo runs. Middle East → Asia gasoil + Rotterdam → US gasoline.…
- LR2 (Long Range 2) tanker80,000-110,000 DWT · Long-haul refined + occasionally crude
Larger long-range product tanker. Transports both clean + dirty products depending on charter. Middle East → Europe + Caribbean → West Africa are typical routes.…