Types of Cargo Ships

Cargo ships are classified under different categories based on their size, dimension and weight..
Most common classifications are :

• Handy size, ships weighing between 28,000-40,000 DWT
• Handymax, ships weighing between 40,000-50,000 DWT
• Panamax, the largest size of ship which can pass through the Panama Canal – DWT of between 60,000 to 80,000 tons
• Aframax, generally tankers weighing between 75,000 and 115,000 DWT
• Suezmax, the largest size of ship which can pass through the Suez Canal – DWT of around 150,000 tons
• Malaccamax, the largest size of ship which can navigate through the Malacca Straits – would have a DWT of ideally between 280000 to 300,000 tons in terms of container ships
• Capesize, vessels larger than Panamax and Suezmax, which cannot pass through either the Panama Canal or Suez Canal and has to pass through the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn – above 150,000 long tons in DWT
• VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier), supertankers between 150,000 and 320,000 DWT
• ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carrier), supertankers between 320,000 and 550,000 DWT
• Seawaymax, the largest size of ship that can fit through the canal locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway – has a DWT of between 10,000 to 60,000 tons