A 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. Container ships are the backbone of global trade and liner shipping.
Category: Ship Types & Classification
On The Maritime
The desks where this concept is measured.
Related terms
More in Ship Types & Classification
CapesizeA 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.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.DredgerA vessel equipped with machinery for excavating and removing sediment from the seabed or riverbed to maintain navigable waterways, deepen ports, and reclaim land.FPSOFloating Production Storage and Offloading unit, a vessel used by the offshore oil and gas industry for the production, processing, and storage of hydrocarbons.General CargoA versatile merchant vessel designed to carry a variety of packaged goods, including palletised, bagged, or crated cargo, as well as small bulk shipments.
Back to DictionaryEntry updated May 2026