A large dry bulk carrier, typically between 100,000 and 200,000 DWT, too large to transit the Suez or Panama Canals and therefore routed around the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn. Capesize vessels primarily carry iron ore and coal.
Category: Ship Types & Classification
On The Maritime
The desks where this concept is measured.
In the Glossary
Capesize
The largest standard dry-bulk carrier, too big for the Panama and Suez canals and so routed around the Capes.
Read the full explanation in the GlossaryRelated terms
More in Ship Types & Classification
AframaxA medium-sized tanker with a deadweight tonnage between 80,000 and 120,000 DWT, named after the Average Freight Rate Assessment (AFRA) system.Cable LayerA specialised vessel designed to lay submarine cables on the seabed, including telecommunications cables and power cables for offshore wind farms.Car CarrierA specialised Ro-Ro vessel, also known as a Pure Car Carrier (PCC) or Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC), designed to transport automobiles and light vehicles.Chemical TankerA specialised tanker built to transport liquid chemicals in bulk, fitted with coated or stainless-steel cargo tanks and sophisticated cargo-handling systems.Container ShipA cargo vessel designed exclusively to carry intermodal containers in a cellular structure, ranging from small feeder ships of a few hundred TEU to ultra-large container vessels exceeding 24,000 TEU.DredgerA vessel equipped with machinery for excavating and removing sediment from the seabed or riverbed to maintain navigable waterways, deepen ports, and reclaim land.
Back to DictionaryEntry updated May 2026