Bulk carrier ship are a type of ship that transports cargo in bulk quantities. The cargo carried in such ships is loose. It is without any specific packaging. It generally contains items like food grains, ores coals, and even cement. Since their inception in the mid-19th century, bulk vessels have been revolutionized and streamlined to facilitate greater ease for their owners and operators.
In addition to transporting dry cargo like the ones pinpointed above, a bulker is sometimes engaged to carry liquefied cargo. The bulk carrier ship liquefied cargo comprises oil, petrol, and other liquid chemical substances.
IMO Recognition and Vessel Requirements
Although bulk carrier ship have been employed since the 1850s, their proper definition and interpretation can be found in the SOLAS Convention – year 1999. However, many other interpretations have been added to the official definition over the years and are now being employed quite effectively.
Regarding capacitances, bulk vessels can carry a maximum cargo of about 4 00,000 DWT. The vessels are subdivided into six major classes based on their cargo-carrying capacitance and the important marine channels they can easily pass through. The different classes of bulk cargo vessels in the descending order of cargo capacity can be elaborated as follows:
- Very Large Carriers
- Capsized & Handymax
- Panamax
- Handyside
- Small sized
Niche Classifications and Bulk Carrier Ship Quality Standards
Apart from these major classifications, several other classifications apply to certain specific navigation channels. These vessel classifications, however, do not form part of the international shipping domain. They are restricted to certain geographical shipping arenas.
To improve the quality of cargo ships, it has been proposed that they be built according to Common Structural Rules (CSR).The CSR notation boosts the credibility of vessels built according to CSR specifications in the global sector.
Similarly, vessels are also required to undertake the ESP (Enhanced Survey Program) as part of the SOLAS Convention rules. The ESP mainly involves thorough monitoring and checking of the hulls of these kinds of ships.
Statistically, bulk carrier ship has a stake of about 40% in the international shipping sector. Of these 40%, the market leaders in ownership and operations are South Asian countries like China, Japan, and South Korea. Along with these nations, Greece is yet another leading owner and operator of bulk carrier ship.
Glancing at these figures, it can be inferred that the bulk carrier ship still enjoys a crucial position in the overall scheme of operations in the maritime sector. They have a more significant reduction in the hazard
