In sea freight, there are many common types of cargo, mainly including the following categories:
1. Dry cargo
General cargo: including various daily necessities, industrial products, etc., these goods are usually transported in containers. General cargo ships are ships that sail regularly on busy cargo routes and mainly transport miscellaneous general cargo. This type of ship has a fast sailing speed and is equipped with sufficient lifting equipment.
Bulk dry cargo: such as bulk cargo such as coal, ore, grain, fertilizer, cement, steel, etc. These goods are usually not packaged during transportation, but directly loaded into the cargo hold. Dry bulk carriers are ships specially used to load these unpackaged bulk cargoes. Depending on the type of cargo loaded, they can be divided into grain ships, coal ships and ore ships.
2. Liquid cargo
Liquid cargo such as petroleum, vegetable oil, etc., these goods are usually transported by tankers. Tankers use various pipelines and hoses to load and unload by pumping in and out of the cargo hold.
3. Bulk cargo
Bulk cargo includes dry bulk cargo and liquid bulk cargo. Dry bulk cargoes include coal, ore, etc. as mentioned above, while liquid bulk cargoes include petroleum, vegetable oil, etc. These types of cargoes have unique operating methods during loading and unloading, such as dry bulk cargoes often use clamshell buckets to scoop out products from the cargo hold, while liquid bulk cargoes are loaded and unloaded through pipeline systems.
4. Dangerous goods
Dangerous goods are a type of cargo that requires special attention in sea transportation, including but not limited to flammable, explosive, toxic, radioactive or corrosive items. These goods need to strictly comply with relevant international and domestic regulations during transportation to ensure transportation safety. Dangerous goods can also be transported by sea under specific regulations.
5. Special cargoes
Refrigerated cargoes: cargoes such as frozen foods and medicines that need to be kept at a certain temperature. These types of cargoes are usually transported using refrigerated ships, which are equipped with refrigeration systems to regulate multiple temperatures.
Large cargoes: such as heavy machinery, vehicles, etc. For this type of cargo, ro-ro ships or specially designed ships are common modes of transportation. Ro-ro ships are particularly suitable for transporting everyday vehicles such as cars and trucks, while other large cargoes may require the use of heavy lifting equipment for loading and unloading.
Timber: A timber ship is a ship specially used to load timber or logs, and timber can be loaded in its cabin and on deck.