A versatile merchant vessel designed to carry a variety of packaged goods, including palletised, bagged, or crated cargo, as well as small bulk shipments. General cargo ships typically have their own cargo-handling gear and multiple holds with tween decks.
Category: Ship Types & Classification
On The Maritime
The desks where this concept is measured.
Related terms
More in Ship Types & Classification
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.HandymaxA dry bulk carrier with a deadweight tonnage between 35,000 and 50,000 DWT, typically equipped with onboard cargo gear.HandysizeA small dry bulk carrier with a deadweight tonnage between 15,000 and 35,000 DWT, equipped with onboard cranes for self-loading and discharge.LNG CarrierA specialised tanker designed to transport liquefied natural gas at approximately minus 162 degrees Celsius.
Back to DictionaryEntry updated May 2026