Types of maritime freight transport

The maritime transport of goods can be of different types:

The regular line modality: consists of the exploitation of merchant ships for the transport of goods, following fixed routes and frequencies, and offering a recurring service.

Maritime chartering: in this modality, all or part of the cargo space of a ship is contracted, either to make a single journey, several trips or for a limited period of time.

The modality to choose will depend on the volume, the recurrence and the nature of the merchandise that they wish to transfer.

National maritime transport is carried out from the Iberian Peninsula to the Canary Islands or the Balearic Islands.

International maritime transport refers to the foreign trade of goods from or to any point in the world to or from any Spanish port.

The types of cargo ships for the maritime transport of goods at a national and international level are:

Container ship: Type of cargo ship for the transport of standard containers according to ISO regulations, including 20, 40 and 45 foot containers, High Cube, Open Top, Flat Rack and reefer containers.

General cargo ship: The most basic cargo ship within the dry cargo, also called a multipurpose ship. This ship is used for the transport of dry and irregular cargo and is not suitable for containers.

General cargo ship: The most basic cargo ship within the dry cargo, also called a multipurpose ship. This ship is used for the transport of dry and irregular cargo and is not suitable for containers.

Bulk carrier or Bulkcarrier: Ship intended for the maritime transport of bulk cargo such as grains, minerals and fertilizers, however, these ships can also transport wood, steel products and machinery.

Ro Ro ship: Ro Ro is the acronym for "Roll on-Roll off", and refers to a type of cargo ship that transports cargo on wheels, mainly cars or trucks.

Car-Carrier Vessel: Vessels within the Ro Ro typology intended for handling and unloading only cars in national and international maritime transport.

Refrigerated ship: Cargo ship specialized in the transport of perishables and food (fruit, vegetables, etc.) at a controlled temperature between -20 ºC and +30º C.

Oil tanker: International maritime transport ship that transports oil and that, due to its large size, must dock on the high seas.

Chemical cargo ship: Types of cargo ships that have several tanks so as not to mix chemical substances for safety reasons and can transport a wide range of chemical products in the same trip.

Livestock ships: Types of cargo ships for the transport of live animals and have areas for food, water and ventilation for animals.

Vessels for heavy lift cargo / type industrial projects: Cargo ship for extremely heavy and/or voluminous cargo, such as specialized industrial machinery, oversized, etc.