Most popular sea transport means

Maritime transport is the foundation of the global economy, enabling the transport of goods and passengers over long distances. Its efficiency and high capacity make it play a key role in international trade. Means of maritime transport include various types of vessels, each adapted to specific transport needs.

According to Eurostat data, in 2023 liquid bulk accounted for 37.9% of the total tonnage handled in the main ports of the European Union, making it the most transported category of goods. It was followed by containerized cargo (22.7%), dry bulk (21.6%) and cargo transported on Ro-Ro units (12.7%).

Get to know the most popular means of maritime transport:

Container ships

Container ships are one of the most important vessels in maritime transport, used to transport containers with various types of goods. Thanks to container standardization, it is possible to easily reload cargo between ships, trains and trucks, which significantly speeds up the logistics process. The largest container ships can carry over 20,000 containers at a time.

Tankers

Tankers are specialized ships used to transport liquid cargo such as crude oil, liquefied gas and chemicals. This makes them the most important means of maritime transport for the energy and chemical industries. Depending on the type of raw material transported, they are divided into different categories, e.g. VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) for crude oil or LNG carriers for transporting liquefied natural gas.

Bulk carriers

Bulk carriers are vessels designed to transport dry bulk cargo such as coal, metal ores, grain and cement. They are essential for the heavy and food industries, providing raw materials and agricultural products on a global scale. Bulk carriers are equipped with special holds adapted for storing and loading large quantities of raw materials in bulk.

Ro-Ro ships

Ro-Ro (Roll-on/Roll-off) ships are adapted to transport vehicles, including cars, trucks and railway wagons. They have ramps that allow quick loading and unloading, which significantly shortens port operations time. Although they are essential for the automotive industry and ferry services, they do not carry the same total load as container ships or bulk carriers.

Passenger ships

Means of maritime transport adapted to the transport of people include ferries and cruise ships. The first group of ships is used on shorter routes, especially in local and regional transport, carrying passengers and vehicles between islands or shores. Cruise ships, on the other hand, are vessels offering tourist cruises, often equipped with numerous amenities. Although passenger transport by sea has lost its importance to aviation, passenger ships, especially cruise ships, are still popular.