by: David Arnold Livingston
Shipping has become a commercial enterprise for transferring or transporting of goods, cargoes and other materials from one location to the other through the sea by ships. Shipping is a vital part of the economy not only of certain countries but the whole world as well. Each country has its own standards and policies regarding shipping. For efficiency of shipping, some countries have special naval ships to make sure that the lawful goods will be successfully transported to the supposed location. The "merchant navies", as what it is called are made from tough durable materials to ensure the safety of the goods as they traversed through rough and huge waves. The merchant navies are carriers of international goods intended for shipping.
There are various sea vessels involved in shipping. It may include box boats or container ships, bulk carriers, tankers, ferries, cable layers, dredgers and barges. Container ships or box boats for shipping use huge containers to carry loads and cargoes. Savind space is of vital consideration for container ships. Extra big loads are handled through open top containers, platforms and flat racks. Loading and unloading of goods can be done using the right type of cranes. Most of the dry goods transported to different areas of the world are carried by container ships. Diesel engines provide the needed power to keep it going in shipping the goods from one point to the other.
Bulk carriers are deep sea vessels for shipping bulk goods like sugar, grains, rice and other bulky items. The big box-like structures situated on the deck is its notable features as compared with other shipping vessels. Tankers are vessels that are meant for shipping huge quantity of liquid hydrocarbon items like fuel, oil and gas around the world. Other tankers specialize in carrying chemicals like ammonia and chlorine. The largest tanker ship in the world is the Knock Nevis supertanker. Such shipping types can pose great threats on the environment if the liquid hydrocarbon spills on the sea or sinks down into the seabed. The type of tanker used would depend on the type of oil or materials carried which may include chemicals and crude oil.
Ferries are usually used as a passenger ship or boat together with the vehicles and goods carried by the passengers. As part of the public transport systems, ferries have scheduled shipping services. Cable layers, as what can be inferred from the name, are used to set cables for telecommunication, electricity and other related areas under the water. To prevent unwanted sediments from contaminating river beds or the bottom surfaces of harbors, dredgers are the commonly used vessels. The traditional barges together with tugboats are shipping vessels for rivers and canals. Barges are moved by tugboats to ship heavy goods but nowadays it only carries low value items since the capacity is not that tough. Barracks barge, Royal barge, liquid cargo barge, dry bulk cargo barge and railcar barge are the common types of shipping barges. Shipping must be done with utmost care to ensure that the goods will be delivered without any damages or defects.