Maritime transport at a glance

Talking about maritime transport, almost everyone can imagine what it is, whether they live in the desert or in the mountains. In the history of human development, maritime transport has a large impact on the world economy. Especially for people’s daily lives, most of what they have owned so far has been transported by the maritime transport. In this article, we will generally review its history and its role in the development of human civilization.

Maritime transport: history & role

Throughout history, people have had the need to move from one place to another. Sea transport has been one of the most effective means of allowing people to explore, settle, conquer, and exchange culture and trade. There are territories that were once divided and then united by sea.

Watercrafts such as rafts and boats have been used since prehistoric times and may have even been used by Homo erectus over a million years ago to cross straits between landmasses. One of the oldest boats found is the Pesse canoe, estimated to have been built between 8040 and 7510 BC. The oldest known depiction of a watercraft is from a piece of rock art in Valle, Norway, which depicts a carving of a boat over 4 metres long and is between 10,000 and 11,000 years old. The earliest known sea trade route dates back to the 7th millennium BC in the Aegean Sea, involving the transport of obsidian by unknown people in Neolithic Europe.

In antiquity, the earliest descriptions of sailing ships date back to the Ubaid period of Mesopotamia in the Persian Gulf, from around 3500 to 3000 BC. From 3000 BC, the migration of Austronesian peoples across the Pacific was also a major milestone in the development of human maritime technology, greatly expanding the range of sea routes.

The earliest evidence of a maritime trade network dates back at least 3,000 years to Asia, known as the Maritime Silk Road, which transported Chinese goods and Southeast Asian spices to the West. The Romans began using the same route to trade in bulk goods 2,200 years ago. A Roman ship could cross the Mediterranean in a month at a fraction of the cost of overland travel. Later, as they developed their fleets, they expanded their trade to the Indian Ocean. The Arab Empire from 600 AD to the Middle Ages began trading routes across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Since some rivers were difficult to navigate, sea travel became an easier option.

With the advancements in navigation in the 15th century and the great improvements in shipbuilding, Europeans were able to cross the Atlantic in search of tobacco, to Mexico and Peru in search of silver, and to set the stage for the colonization and exploitation that followed.

After hundreds of years of development from sail ships, to steamships and diesel-powered ships, maritime transport remains the most efficient means of transport and has led to the construction of many large ports everywhere, forming a global network of connections. Today, the most important seaports are mainly in Asia (China, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea), countries that have surpassed the Western economy by gaining power through maritime trade. In the West, only a few prominent ports remain, such as the port of Long Beach in Los Angeles; Rotterdam in Europe.

Types of vessels

In maritime industry, there are many types of vessels designed according to strict safety regulations to ensure that goods are delivered on schedule and in optimal conditions. Among the many different types of vessels, we can only pay attention to the following most common types:

Bulk carriers

Bulk carriers are ships that specialize in transporting unpackaged, unwrapped goods that are stored directly in the ship’s cargo holds. These types of goods are often large in volume, occupy a lot of space, and have special physical properties, such as being flammable, explosive, volatile, fragile, etc. There are many types of bulk carriers, classified by size, payload, and type of cargo carried. Some common types of bulk carriers include:

• Coal carriers: transport coal, an important fossil fuel.
• Ore carriers: transport iron ore, aluminum ore, etc., important raw materials in industrial production.
• Grain carriers: transport wheat, corn, rice, etc., essential foods.
• Wood chip carriers.
• General bulk carriers: transport various types of bulk cargo, such as cement, fertilizer, animal feed, etc.
• Heavy lift carriers

Container vessel

A container ship is a ship designed specifically to accommodate all cargo loaded on board in containers. They are a common means of sea transport in the commercial intermodal freight sector and currently carry most non-bulk cargo by sea. Today, approximately 90% of the world’s non-bulk cargo is transported by container ship, and the largest modern container ships have a capacity of over 24,000 TEU.

Tanker

Tankers are specialized ships used to transport liquids such as crude oil, chemicals, liquefied petroleum gas carriers (LPG), and liquefied natural gas carriers (LNG). In addition, this type of ship is also used to transport alcohol, water, or other liquids. The characteristics of tankers are that the hull is very sturdy and the ship is divided into many separate compartments. The ship is also equipped with a system of pumps and pipes on the deck and in the storage compartment to serve the pumping and pumping of liquids.

Reefer vessel

Reefer ships are specialized ships, equipped with a standard refrigeration system. The main purpose of reefer ships is to transport perishable goods that need to be preserved at frozen temperatures such as: fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, etc. Reefer ships ensure large cargo volume, fast and safe movement. Ships are often designed with cold holds, with cold air flow suitable for each separate cargo hold. The hatch cover is usually small in size, the cargo hold is insulated with aluminum or alloy walls to maintain the desired temperature.

Ro-Ro vessel

Roro is an abbreviation for the English phrase Roll-on/Roll-off. Roro ships are designed to transport self-propelled goods such as cars, trailers, train cars, etc. The characteristic of Roro ships is that ramps are usually equipped at the stern and side of the ship. Thanks to that, goods are self-propelled vehicles that can easily get on and off. For RORO ships specialized in transporting commercial cars, they are also called PCC (Pure Car Carrier).

Multifunctional vessel

This is a special type of ship, a “hybrid” between a container ship, a RORO ship, and a heavy lift ship, meaning it is designed to carry all three different types of cargo. Bhari Shipping Company calls their ship RoRoConPlus.

Hopefully the above article has helped readers better understand the history of the maritime industry as well as visualize the rich and diverse world of maritime transport. If you need further discussion, need advice or have a need for Logistics services, please comment below or contact our team of experts immediately to receive the earliest support.