What are the classifications of passenger ships?

Abstract: As the name implies, a passenger ship is a ship that carries passengers. It refers to a ship specially used to transport passengers and their carryable luggage and mail. According to regulations, any ship carrying more than 12 passengers is a passenger ship, regardless of whether it also carries cargo. Passenger ships are classified into ocean passenger ships, tourist ships, car passenger ships, ro-ro passenger and cargo ships, inland river passenger ships, etc. Let’s learn more about passenger ships. 1. What are the classifications of passenger ships?

1. Ocean passenger ships

There are two types of ocean passenger ships and coastal passenger and cargo ships. Ocean transport ships were developed in the 1840s. At that time, they were all mixed passenger and cargo ships. Later, due to the increase in passenger and cargo traffic, passenger transportation and cargo transportation gradually separated, and large ocean passenger ships were differentiated into purely transporting passengers. Ocean passenger ships were also called "mail ships" because they also carried mail. Large ocean passenger ships are generally larger than 10,000 gross tons, have a speed of more than 20 nautical miles per hour, have 2 to 3 cabin levels, and have many places for public activities on board. The emergence of long-range jet airliners in the late 1950s gradually took away the passenger source of ocean passenger ships. Because large-scale high-speed passenger ships are extremely expensive to build and maintain, and their speed is much lower than that of airplanes, they are not suitable for modern economic needs. This type of ship has been in decline for more than ten years. The large ocean passenger ship route completely disappeared from the world in October 1977. Coastal passenger and cargo ships are generally less than 6,000 gross tons, with a speed of 14 to 18 nautical miles per hour, many cabin levels, and a large cargo capacity. The "Long March" type passenger and cargo ship off the coast of China is 5,926 gross tons, 124 meters long, 6 decks, 9,000 horsepower, 18 nautical miles per hour, and can carry about 900 passengers and 2,000 tons of cargo.

2. Tourist ships

Tourist ships are similar to large ocean passenger ships, generally 20,000 to 40,000 gross tons, and can carry 800 to 1,400 passengers. The engine room is located in the middle and rear of the ship. The speed is 20 to 24 nautical miles per hour. It can cruise around the beautiful sea areas or sail regularly around the world, and is also engaged in inter-port transportation. Tourist ships should not only meet the requirements of tourists, but also enable tourists to achieve recuperation, vacation, cultural entertainment, social activities and other purposes. Bedrooms and public spaces are also divided into levels, often using vertical separation. The bedrooms are arranged at the front to keep quiet, and the public spaces are diverse and have wide views. Tourist boats have shallow drafts, large endurance, and anti-rolling devices to make navigation as smooth and comfortable as possible.

3. Car passenger ship

Car passenger ship is a type of coastal passenger ship developed in the early 1960s. It mainly transports passengers and carries their own cars. It spends a very long time in port. Short and efficient. Nowadays, important short- and medium-distance regular routes and train and ferry routes in developed countries for maritime transportation have basically adopted car and passenger ships. Most car passenger ships are less than 4,000 gross tons and can carry 700 to 1,000 passengers. Some of them are sleeping cabins and some are entertainment cabins. The car-to-passenger ratio (the ratio of the number of cars to the number of passengers) is 10% to 20%, and the speed is 16 to 18 knots per hour. It has a shallow draft and a large width. It adopts double propellers and a single rudder, and is equipped with rocking fins and side thrust devices. The main engine is a medium-speed diesel engine, and the entrances and exits of the engine room are placed on the side to facilitate front-to-back access to the vehicle deck (first or second floor) below the upper deck. Cars mostly disembark from the ship through the movable bridge at the pier through the large front and rear doors. In recent years, due to the development of the tourism industry, high-speed large car passenger ships with a total tonnage of more than 10,000 tons, a vehicle-to-passenger ratio of 33%, and a speed of more than 20 nautical miles per hour have appeared on European international routes. This kind of ship further utilizes space in appearance and becomes more square, and the equipment inside the ship is more luxurious.

4. Ro-Ro Passenger and Cargo Ships

Ro-Ro Passenger and Cargo Ships are high-efficiency new passenger and cargo ships developed in the early 1970s on the basis of container transportation and large-scale car and passenger ships. They are mostly used along the coast. Medium-haul scheduled routes. The ship type is similar to that of a car and passenger ship. The car deck sometimes needs to be added with an extra layer and has its own ramp. The efficient roll-on/roll-off process can shorten the ship's time in port and speed up the ship's turnover. In the Baltic Sea, this type of ship mainly carries passengers, cars and wheeled ro-ro cargo.

5. River passenger ships

Traditional passenger ships sailing on rivers and lakes. It has a large passenger capacity and frequent docking. Small quantities of groceries and mail are usually loaded and unloaded through the port door at the floating dock. The main structure is relatively thin. If the flow rate in the flight section is less than 3 meters per second, a double bottom is not required. Generally there are two decks with lower freeboard. Because the voyage section is easy to adapt to changes, the safety requirements are lower than that of sea-going ships. The superstructure often extends from bow to stern and extends outboard to increase the passenger area. Most of them have two oars and two rudders or three rudders. Nowadays, the speed of large ships in shallow water rivers and lakes is generally 12 to 16 knots per hour. The inland river passenger ships on the Yangtze River trunk line in China are mainly of the "Dongfanghong" type, with a length of 113 meters, a gross tonnage of 5,050 tons, a capacity of 1,250 passengers, and an average speed up and down water of about 25 nautical miles per hour.

Small high-speed passenger ships are very fast short-distance passenger ships that appeared in the 1960s and mostly sailed between straits and islands. The hull and main engine are both smaller and lighter. The speed increased from 18 knots per hour in the early days to about 27 knots later. Hydrofoils and hovercraft are also small high-speed passenger ships that can sail on rivers, lakes and straits. In 1980, Japan built a small waterplane area catamaran passenger ship. The cabin deck was supported on two submerged floating bodies with small cross-section pillars, so that the hull was high above the sea surface, which reduced the disturbance of waves to the hull and improved seaworthiness. performance and increased speed.

2. What is the general speed of passenger ships?

The maximum speed of modern super container ships can reach 30 knots/hour = 55 kilometers/hour;

Conventional cargo ships The speed is between 15-20 knots = 28 km-37 km/h;

The maximum speed of the U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carrier can reach 35-40 knots = 65 km-74 km/h between;

The speed of the biplane jet boat can reach about 60 knots = 111 kilometers/hour.

Now, the internationally accepted unit of measurement for expressing ship speed is knots.

1 knot=1 nautical mile/hour, 1 nautical mile=1.852 kilometers, and one knot is also 1.852 kilometers/hour.