According to forms and package of the cargo, marine transport cargo are categorized into three major types of fluid cargo, dry bulk cargo and piece bulk cargo, which are divided as follows:

1、	Fluid Cargo: petroleum, petroleum products, liquefying gas, liquefying chemicals and other liquefying cargo.
2、	Dry Bulk Cargo: all kinds of primary products and raw materials. Usually, according to the size of transportation bulks, dry bulk cargo can be typed into large bulk-cargo and small bulk-cargo, the former of which mainly includes coal, metal ores and food etc while the latter of which includes steel, timbering, chemical fertilizer and cement etc. This type is usually without packages.
3、	Piece Bulk Cargo: mainly include electromechanical facilities, chemical industries, light industrial medicines and other industrial products and farming, herd and fishing industries etc. These cargo are usually packaged and are consigned by forms of ‘piece’ ‘box’ and ‘bunch’ etc that include packed cargo, unpacked cargo and unitized cargo.

Types of Bulk Carriers

Handysize carrier：

It is one type of bulk carriers, usually referring to ships of about 2o to 50 thousand tons. Those ships scaled over 40 thousand tons are addressed as Handymax carriers. These relatively smaller carriers feature relatively strong adaptabilities to shipping lanes, canals and ports while those carriers with medium tons are mostly equipped with unloading facilities that have convenient and flexible operations, thus being addressed as Handysize carriers hereby.

Panamax bulk carrier：

As can be signified from its name, this ship type refers to the maximum bulk carrier that can pass the Panama Canal on full load condition, meaning to fully satisfy relevant regulations of the canal tunnels whose total length is less than or equal to 274.32 meters and the model width is less than or equal to 32.30 meters. According to the requirements, the measure, ship type and structures are to be modified to change the carrying capacities. Panamax bulk carrier usually weights between 60 thousand to 75 thousand tons.

CAPESIZE SHIP：

Capes size ships refer to dry bulk cargo with a loading capacity of over 100 thousand tons that can pass the Cape of Good Hope or under the condition of the most severe weather in the cape of South America. For the time being, the maximum Cape of Good Hope has a loading capacity of circa 300 thousand tons. This ship type gives first place to the transportation of iron ores but because that the dimensional restrictions cannot pass the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal, they should make the round of Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn. Because the Suez Canal authorities have already relaxed restrictions on the drinking water restrictions of canal ships, this ship type can pass this canal with full loads.

Provisions of Bulk Cargo Transportation

FI/FILO：FREE IN/FREE IN LINER OUT Unloading without Packaging
FO/LIFO： FREE OUT/ LINER IN FREE OUT Packaging without Unloading
FIO： FREE IN AND FREE OUT Without Loading & Unloading
FLT： FULL LINER TIME Packaging and Unloading, rotation
RORO：ROLL ON ROLL OFF Drive on & Drive Off ( dedicated for roll-on-roll ships)

Enquiry Elements of Bulk Cargo Transportation

POL：Port of Landing
POD：Port of Unloading
COMM：Name of an Article
WEIGHT/VOLUMN：Weight/size
TERM：Freight Clauses (FI, FO, FIO, FLT)
LAY/CAN：Laydays are dates to begin the shipments. CANCELLNG Day is the date to cancel the shipments.
OTHER TERMS：Other Terms (Package, whether it can be stacked up or not, requirements for ship cargo gear, armor plates and cabins).