Bulk Carrier: Meaning and Types
A bulk carrier is a merchant ship designed to carry loose, unpackaged dry cargo in its holds.
What a bulk carrier is
A bulk carrier has a single deck, large cargo holds with big hatch covers on top, and sloping tanks at the sides that help the cargo to settle into the middle of the hold. Grain, coal, iron ore, bauxite, fertilizer, sugar and cement can be poured straight into the holds. Bulk carriers are the largest group of ships in the world by number.
Geared and gearless
A geared bulk carrier has its own cranes on deck and can load and discharge in ports without shore equipment. A gearless bulk carrier has no cranes and needs the port to provide them. Smaller ships are usually geared, and the largest ships are gearless.
Size classes
The classes by size are Handysize, Handymax and Supramax, Panamax and Capesize, from roughly 10,000 to more than 200,000 deadweight tonnes. See deadweight tonnage for the measure.
Chartering a bulk carrier
Most bulk cargoes are fixed on a voyage charter, and regular shipments on a contract of affreightment. Read the guide to dry bulk vessel charter and how to charter a ship.
Post your ship request
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Related guides
More in glossary
- Voyage Charter
- Time Charter
- Trip Time Charter
- Contract of Affreightment (COA)
- Time Charter vs Voyage Charter
- Laycan
- Laytime
- Demurrage and Despatch
- Notice of Readiness
- Charterer
- Shipowner, ship operator, disponent owner
- Ship broker
- Ship fixing and fixture
- Bill of lading
- Freight
- Baltic Dry Index
- Lien
- Off-hire
- Bunkers
- FIO and FIOS
- Cancelling date
- Statement of facts
- Letter of indemnity
- Dead freight
- Stem
- Subjects
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