Publish Time: 2023-11-07 Origin: Site
Bulk Carrier is short for Bulk Carrier,are specially designed for the transportation of unwrapped goods.e.g. coal, ore, timber, livestock, grain, etc.ships transporting bulk dry bulk cargoes such as grain, coal, mineral ores, salt, cement, etc, in bulk.All can be referred to as dry bulk carriers, or simply bulk carriers.
On bulk carrier, crews are involved in operation, management, and maintenance of the vessel, taking care of safety, navigation, maintenance, and cargo care, in accordance with international maritime legislation. Crews can range in size from three people on the smallest ships to over 30 on the largest.
Cargo loading operations vary in complexity, and loading and discharging of cargo can take several days. Bulk carriers can be gearless or geared.
Bulk cargo can be very dense, corrosive, or abrasive. This can present safety problems that can threaten a ship: problems such as cargo shifting, spontaneous combustion, and cargo saturation. The use of old ships that have corrosion problems—as well as the bulk carriers' large hatchways—has been linked to a spate of bulk carrier sinkings in the 1990s. These large hatchways, important for efficient cargo handling, can allow the entry of large volumes of water in storms and accelerate sinking once a vessel has listed or heeled. New international regulations have since been introduced to improve ship design and inspection and to streamline the process for crews to abandon ship.
▍Characteristics of Culk Carriers
1. Single-deck design: Since bulk carriers transport a wide variety of cargoes, and most of them are large cargoes, bulk carriers usually adopt a single-deck design, which facilitates the loading and unloading of cargoes and transportation.
2. Wide cargo holds: Bulk carrier usually have wider cargo holds than other types of vessels, which allows them to accommodate larger cargoes and better prevents them from shifting or tipping during transportation.
3. Ballast systems: In order to prevent cargo from moving or tipping during transportation, bulk carriers are often equipped with specialized ballast systems. These systems can balance the weight of the cargo by adjusting the weight of the ballast water to ensure the stability of the ship during transportation.
4. Advanced loading and unloading equipment: Since bulk carrier transport a wide variety of cargoes, and most of them are large cargoes, they need to be equipped with more advanced and efficient loading and unloading equipment. These equipments can greatly improve the loading and unloading speed and efficiency, and reduce the transportation time and cost.
Wide Cargo Hold
Ballast Systems
▍Size categories
Bulk carrier are segregated into six major size categories: small, handysize, handymax, panamax, capesize, and very large.Very large bulk and ore carriers fall into the capesize category but are often considered separately.
Mini-bulk carriers are prevalent in the category of small vessels with a capacity of under 10,000 DWT. Mini-bulk carriers carry from 500 to 2,500 tons, have a single hold, and are designed for river transport. They are often built to be able to pass under bridges and have small crews of three to eight people.
Handysize and Handymax ships are general purpose in nature.These two segments represent 71% of all bulk carriers over 10,000 DWT and also have the highest rate of growth.This is partly due to new regulations coming into effect which put greater constraints on the building of larger vessels. Handymax ships are typically 150–200 m in length and 52,000 – 58,000 DWT with five cargo holds and four cranes.These ships are also general purpose in nature.
The size of a Panamax vessel is limited by the Panama canal's lock chambers, which can accommodate ships with a beam of up to 32.31 m, a length overall of up to 294.13 m, and a draft of up to 12.04 m.
Capesize ships are too large to traverse the Panama canal and must round Cape Horn to travel between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Earlier, Capesize ships could not traverse the Suez and needed to go around the Cape of Good Hope. Recent deepening of the Suez canal to 66 ft (20 m) permits most Capesize ships to pass through it.
Capesize ships are too large to traverse the Panama canal and must round Cape Horn to travel between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Earlier, Capesize ships could not traverse the Suez and needed to go around the Cape of Good Hope. Recent deepening of the Suez canal to 66 ft (20 m) permits most Capesize ships to pass through it.
Navigation and operation: The navigation and operation of bulk carriers require a high degree of attention to the process of loading and unloading cargoes. Owing to the characteristics of bulk cargoes, loading and unloading equipment needs to be specially designed to suit the characteristics of various cargoes. In addition, during navigation, the crew needs to pay close attention to the status of the cargo and changes in the hold to ensure the safe transportation of the cargo.
Trends: As global trade continues to grow, so does the demand for bulk carriers. In the future, the development trend of bulk carriers is likely to focus more on environmental protection and energy saving, such as adopting more efficient engines and fuel management systems to reduce emissions and energy consumption. Meanwhile, with the development of the Internet of Things and intelligent technologies, the level of automation and intelligence of bulk carriers will also continue to increase in order to improve transportation efficiency and safety.
In summary, bulk carrier are an integral part of international trade and have unique characteristics and needs. Understanding and acquiring knowledge and skills related to bulk carriers is important for crews and managers.