Vessel Categories
Fleet Types
Every vessel type explained — from the world's largest bulk carriers to specialised heavy-lift ships and chemical tankers.
Every vessel type explained — from the world's largest bulk carriers to specialised heavy-lift ships and chemical tankers.
Hibernia Shipping works across the full spectrum of the commercial shipping fleet. Whether your requirement is a Capesize bulk carrier, a semi-submersible heavy lift ship, or a temperature-controlled reefer vessel, our brokers have the market relationships to secure the right vessel at competitive rates.
Each vessel category below includes a detailed specification overview, typical cargo types handled, and standard charter parameters to help you understand your options before making enquiries.
Handysize · Handymax · Supramax · Panamax · Capesize
Bulk carriers are designed to carry unpackaged bulk commodities such as grain, coal, iron ore, cement, and fertilizers. They represent the largest segment of the global merchant fleet by number of vessels.
| Handysize | 10,000 – 40,000 DWT |
| Handymax / Supramax | 40,000 – 65,000 DWT |
| Panamax | 65,000 – 100,000 DWT |
| Capesize | 100,000 – 400,000 DWT |
| Charter Types | Voyage · Time · COA |
Typical Cargo Carried:
Product · Chemical · Crude · LPG · LNG
Tankers carry liquid bulk cargo — from crude oil and refined petroleum products to chemicals, vegetable oils, and liquefied gases. Each type requires specialised tank coatings, pump systems, and certification.
| General Purpose Tanker | 10,000 – 25,000 DWT |
| MR (Medium Range) | 25,000 – 45,000 DWT |
| Aframax | 80,000 – 120,000 DWT |
| Suezmax | 120,000 – 200,000 DWT |
| VLCC / ULCC | 200,000 – 550,000 DWT |
Typical Cargo Carried:
Feeder · Sub-Panamax · Post-Panamax · ULCV
Container ships carry standardised boxes (TEU/FEU), enabling efficient multimodal transport. They range from small feeder vessels serving regional ports to ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) on mainline routes.
| Feeder | 100 – 1,000 TEU |
| Sub-Panamax | 1,000 – 3,000 TEU |
| Panamax | 3,000 – 5,000 TEU |
| Post-Panamax | 5,000 – 14,000 TEU |
| ULCV | 14,000 – 24,000+ TEU |
Shipping Modes Available:
Semi-submersible · Crane Ships · Multipurpose Heavy Lift
Heavy lift vessels are equipped with cranes capable of lifting hundreds or thousands of tonnes. Semi-submersible ships can submerge to allow floating cargo to be loaded. Essential for out-of-gauge industrial and offshore cargo.
| Lifting Capacity | Up to 14,000 MT (crane) |
| Deck Area | Up to 8,000 m² |
| Load-on Float | Semi-sub up to 75,000 MT |
| Charter Types | Voyage · Time |
Typical Cargo Carried:
Pure Car Carrier · PCTC · ConRo · RoRo
Roll-on/Roll-off vessels are designed with stern or side ramps allowing wheeled cargo to be driven directly on and off the ship. No cranes required, reducing handling time and risk of damage.
| PCTC Capacity | 1,000 – 8,500 CEU |
| Lane Metres (RoRo) | 1,000 – 7,000 LM |
| Deck Height | 2m – 7.5m depending on type |
Typical Cargo Carried:
Conventional Reefer · Pallet Wide · Controlled Atmosphere
Dedicated reefer vessels maintain precise temperature control throughout the entire hold — critical for perishable goods, pharmaceuticals, and frozen products where cold chain integrity is non-negotiable.
| Temperature Range | -30°C to +12°C |
| Capacity | 200,000 – 700,000 CBF |
| CA Capability | O&sub2; / CO&sub2; management available |
Typical Cargo Carried:
Multi-Purpose Vessel · Tweendecker · Geared Vessel
Multi-purpose vessels are the most flexible workhorses of the shipping world — equipped with their own cranes, capable of carrying containers, breakbulk, and heavy lifts in a single voyage.
| DWT Range | 3,000 – 30,000 DWT |
| Crane Capacity | Up to 400 MT SWL |
| Container Capacity | Up to 800 TEU |
Typical Cargo Carried:
AHTS · PSV · Tug · Barge · OSV
Offshore support vessels serve the energy sector — providing anchor handling, towing, platform supply, crew transportation, and subsea support services across the Gulf, Red Sea, and beyond.
| AHTS Bollard Pull | 50 – 350 tonnes |
| PSV Deck Cargo | Up to 4,000 DWT |
| Barge Capacity | 500 – 10,000 DWT |
Vessel Types Available:
Use our Cargo Finder tool — answer five questions about your cargo and we will identify the most suitable vessel type and shipping mode for your requirement.
Open Cargo Finder →Our Sale & Purchase desk handles transactions across all vessel types — newbuildings, second-hand vessels, and demolition sales — with full brokerage support.
S&P Services →Our brokers are available around the clock. Whether by phone, email, or WhatsApp — we respond fast and with full market knowledge at our disposal.
Contact Us →A wider look at the vessels and operations Hibernia Shipping works with every day.
