There are many categories of ships: trawlers, tankers, cargo ships, fishing vessels, offshore tugs and supply ships, bulkcarriers, dredgers, fire-fighting vessels, whale catchers, patrol vessels, vehicle carriers. And many more. Let's have a closer look at a few. Most of the ships in the spotlight belong to one of the categories below.
Oil tankers
About 5,500 crude oil tankers and oil product tankers over 500 Gross Tonnage
(GT) sail around the world. More than 40% were built before 1980. In 1999,
the Maltese-flagged oil tanker Erika collapsed. The Erika was a 25 year
old single hull vessel, chartered by oil company TotalFina. It leaked more
than 10,000 tons of heavy oil, polluting 400 km of coast of Brittany (France).
After this accident, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) decided
to phase-out all single hull oil tankers. The phase-out means that - starting
from 1 January 2003 - many tankers will have to be taken out of service
EXTRA in the coming years. Roughly 2,200 single
hull oil tankers from the 4,000 crude oil tankers and oil products tankers
(over 5,000 dwt). Together these tankers have a dwt of 175 million. For
example, single hull crude oil tankers and oil products tankers built in
1973 or earlier have to be taken out of service in 2003. Single hull tankers
built in 1978 or 1979 have to be taken out of service by 2006.
Passenger ships
There are about 2,900 passenger ships (over 500 GT) sailing around the world.
Some 48% are built before 1980. Average ocean-going vessels will sail approximately
25 to 30 years. But passenger ships - like ferries and cruise ships - can
sail on much longer. That is mainly because these ships have to be maintained
in a good condition. Otherwise they will not attract enough passengers and
can't meet safety regulations. Most cruise ships have a sailing life of
roughly 40 years. Most of the cruise ship on the list
of 50 are a bit younger, but all ships will end their sailing life someday.
Have a look and see if you ever sailed with one of the passenger ships on
the list. And check if the owner of the ship has declared to take full responsibility
for the ship. Has he decontaminated the vessel prior to sending it to Asia?
Container ships
There are about 2,600 container ships (over 500 GT) sailing around the world. Some 14% were built before 1980. Container ships have an average lifetime of 27½ years. Container ships carry containers, both 20 and 40 feet containers around the world. The largest container ships are ships of some 7600 teu (a teu is the equivalent for a 20 foot unit container). In containers a wide range of products are carried, like medicines, food products, machinery parts, powder chemicals, household appliances and computers. The largest 3 container carriers in the world are Maersk/Sealand, Evergreen and P&O Nedlloyd. Important container ports in the world are Singapore, Hong Kong, Hamburg and Rotterdam. Container ships have only been in operation since 35 years. They are considered an important means of transport for the future. The advantage of container transport is their handling efficiency.
Bulkcarriers
There are about 4,900 bulk carriers (over 500 GT) sailing around the world. Some 27% are built before 1980. Bulk carriers have an average lifetime of 25 years. Bulk carriers carry any product that can be laden in bulk. Examples are ore, grains, cattle, phosphates, coal, soybeans and China clay. Over the last 10 years an average number of 15 bulk carriers a year were lost at sea. The poor condition of a ship is said to be the most likely primary cause of loss in a structural failure. Over the last 10 years a total number of 518 crewmembers lost their lives in cases where structural failure was the actual or suspected cause of loss.
Chemical tankers
There are over 2,000 chemical tankers sailing around the world. Chemical tankers have an average lifetime of 27½ years. Chemical tankers carry all kinds of chemicals in liquid, like phenol. They also carry products like molasses and edible oils like palm oil. Large chemical carriers include Stolt and Odfjell.
General cargo
There are about 11,500 general cargo ships (over 500 GT) sailing around the world. General cargo ships have an average lifetime of 30 years. General cargo ships carry all products except products or liquids in bulk. Products carried by general cargo ships for example are big bags (containing food products like cocoa and coffee beans) and large machine parts. Container carriers increasingly replace general cargo ships.
Remarkable ships Pacific Princess ('Love Boat') is on the Greenpeace list. More remarkable ships...
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