Container Ship Definition | Apparel Search

Container ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size containers, in a technique called containerization. Cargo too big for a standard container can still be handled using flat racks, open top containers and platforms. Their capacity is measured in TEU, twenty-foot equivalent units, meaning the number of 20-foot containers the ship can carry, although most containers used today are 40 feet in length. Above a certain size, container ships do not carry their own loading gear, so loading and unloading can only be done at ports with the necessary cranes; smaller ships, with capacities up to about 2,900 TEU, are often equipped with their own cranes. Informally known as box boats, they carry the majority of the world dry cargo in the sense of manufactured goods, while metal ores, coal and wheat move in bulk carriers. Large main line vessels ply the deep sea routes, and many small feeder ships supply the large ships at centralized hub ports. Most container ships are propelled by diesel engines and have crews of between 20 and 40 people, with a large accommodation block at the stern above the engine room.

Container ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size containers, in a technique called containerization. However, cargo that is too big to carry in containers can be handled using so-called flat racks, open top containers and platforms. There are also container ships called "Ro-Ro's" (for roll-on, roll-off) which utilize shore-based ramp systems for loading and unloading. Ro-Ro's are usually associated with shorter trade routes, as they are unable to carry the volume of crane-based container vessels. However, due to their flexibilty and high speed, Ro-Ro's are frequently used in today's container markets.

They are designed in such a manner that no space is wasted. Their capacity is measured in TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units). This is the number of 20 ft containers that it can carry. The majority of containers used today are 40 ft in length. Above a certain size, container ships do not carry their own loading gear. Hence loading and unloading can only be done at ports with the necessary cranes. However, smaller ships with capacities up to 2 900 TEUs are often equipped with their own cranes.

Informally known as "box boats," they carry the majority of the world's dry cargo, meaning manufactured goods. Cargoes like metal ores or coal or wheat are carried in bulkcarriers. There are large main line vessels that ply the deep sea routes, then many small "feeder" ships that supply the large ships at centralized hub ports. Most container ships are propelled by diesel engines, and have crews of between 20 and 40 people. They generally have a large accommodation block at the stern, directly above the engine room. Container ships now carry up to 10,000 containers on a voyage.

The first container ships were converted tankers, built up from surplus tanker Liberty ships after World War II. Container ships are by now, all purpose-built and, as a class, they are the biggest cargo ships on the oceans, right after crude oil tankers.

Shipyards

Large container ships (over 7000 TEU) have been built in the following shipyards:

Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark

Hyundai Heavy Industries, South Korea

Samsung Heavy Industries, South Korea

Daewoo Heavy Industries, South Korea

IHI. Kure. Japan

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki. Japan

The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/container_ship). 12/29/05

How Container Ships Are Loaded and Organized

A container ship is a floating grid. Containers are stowed in numbered bays, rows and tiers, below deck in cell guides that hold the stacks in place and on deck in secured stacks lashed against the motion of the sea. The stowage plan balances weight, stability, port rotation and cargo type: heavy boxes low, light boxes high, refrigerated containers near power outlets, dangerous goods separated under strict rules, and containers for the first discharge port accessible without shifting boxes for later ports. Port cranes work the ship bay by bay, discharging imports and loading exports in a planned sequence so the vessel can sail on schedule. Turnaround speed is a major part of container shipping economics, because a ship earns money at sea, not alongside the berth.

Roll-on, roll-off vessels, known as Ro-Ros, are a related variant that uses shore-based ramp systems for loading and unloading vehicles and rolling cargo. They are usually associated with shorter trade routes, since they cannot carry the volume of crane-based container vessels, but their flexibility and high speed keep them in regular use in container and vehicle markets where ramps suit the cargo better than cranes.

Container Ships and the Clothing Trade

Nearly every imported garment that reaches a store by sea has traveled on a container ship. Factories load cartons into 40-foot containers, which move by truck or rail to the load port, cross the ocean on a main line vessel, sometimes transfer to a feeder at a hub port, and then travel inland to a distribution center. Transit times on the major apparel routes are measured in weeks, so buying, production and shipping calendars are built around sailing schedules and cut-off times. A missed sailing or a rolled booking, in which a container is left for a later vessel because the ship is full, can delay a seasonal collection, which is why importers track vessel schedules as closely as factory schedules.

Ship size also shapes apparel logistics indirectly. The largest vessels call only at major ports with deep water and large cranes, concentrating volume at hubs and adding feeder or inland legs for smaller markets. Freight rates, equipment availability and port congestion on container routes respond to that structure, and clothing importers feel the effects in booking lead times, surcharges and delivery reliability. Understanding how container ships work, from TEU capacity to feeder networks, makes those everyday import decisions easier to plan and easier to explain when conditions change.

Development of the Container Ship

The first container ships were converted tankers, built up from surplus tanker and Liberty ship hulls after the Second World War, when operators proved that carrying the box rather than rehandling its contents transformed port economics. Purpose-built container ships followed, growing steadily in beam, length and TEU capacity as ports invested in cranes and terminals to handle them. Major builders of the largest vessels, over 7,000 TEU, have included shipyards in Denmark, South Korea and Japan. Modern container ships carry many thousands of containers on a single voyage and, as a class, are among the biggest cargo ships on the oceans, second only to crude oil tankers in overall scale.

Common Questions

What does TEU mean for a container ship?

TEU means twenty-foot equivalent unit, the standard measure of container ship capacity. It is the number of 20-foot containers a ship can carry. A 40-foot container, the most common size today, counts as 2 TEU.

Why do large container ships need port cranes?

Above a certain size, container ships do not carry their own loading gear, so they can only load and unload at ports with the necessary cranes. Smaller ships, up to about 2,900 TEU, are often equipped with their own cranes and can serve simpler ports.

What is a feeder ship?

A feeder ship is a smaller container ship that supplies large main line vessels at centralized hub ports. Feeders collect and distribute containers on shorter regional routes that the biggest deep-sea ships do not serve directly.

Container Ship