About Bulker Ships
International Convention for safety of life at sea(SOLAS) defines
bulk carrier as “single deck, top side tanks and hopper side tanks in
cargo spaces and intended to primarily carry cargo in bulk; an ore
carrier; or a combination carrier”. Though this definition is not
thoroughly followed by various classification societies yet they follow a
broader version of it in some way or the other. Commonly known as a
bulk carrier, bulk freighter or bulker, it’s a type of ship used to
transport ores, cement, cereals and coal from one place to another.
They have their origin dated back in the mid of the 19 century around
1857 and today they constitute one-third of the world’s merchant fleet.
They range in size from mammoth sized ore ships to single hold mini
bulkers.
Discussed further are some types of bulkers:
Geared Bulker: These types of bulk carriers have got
their own equipment or carrier to unload and load cargo in the form of
cranes or derricks.
Gearless Carriers: These types of carriers depend on
the on-shore facilities for providing the equipments to unload and load
cargo. They do not carry gears of their own.
Combined Carriers: They can carry ore and bulk
simultaneously and can even carry oil in its wing tanks. They are
complex in design and are relatively costlier to make and maintain.
BIBO(Bulk in, Bulk out Carriers): These type of carriers are specially equipped to provide the services of bagging cargo at loading time.
Lakers: These types of carriers are commonly found
on prominent lakes and they can be easily identified by a forward house
which helps in transiting locks.
Self Dischargers: These types of bulkers have a conveyer belt or excavator which is used to unload cargo quickly and efficiently.
Another way of classifying Bulk Carriers is according to their size.
According to this classification these are of the following types:
- Handysize;
- Handymax;
- Panama;
- Capesize;
- Mammoth size
Some Interesting Facts:
Japan, Greece and China are the top three owners of bulk carriers and
account for 53% of the world’s total fleet of bulk carriers.
Asian companies manufacture the largest number of bulk freighters in the world.
A bulker may be used for various types of cargoes throughout the
year. In one season it may be used to carry cereals, in another ore and
likewise.
Loading and unloading on a bulker is often time consuming and
dangerous and hence is well planned by the ship’s captain and chief
mate.
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