Ro-Ro Vessels: Technicalities, Uses, and Advantages
Ro-Ro vessels is an abbreviation for roll-on/roll-off vessels. These ships are mainly used to transport wheeled cargo like cars, trucks, or even bulldozers.
Ro-Ro ships have ramps or ferry slips that allow effortless loading and unloading of vehicles. The vehicles are either loaded and unloaded on their own or by the use of a platform vehicle. This is unlike Lo-Lo vessels that load and unload vehicles using a crane.
Technical Details of Ro-Ro Vessels:
Dimension and Capacity
Ro-Ro ships are basically classified based on their carrying capacities, which reflect their size. Their carrying capacities are mentioned in either lane meters (which is the measure of how many vehicles can fit into the lanes available on the ship’s deck) or deadweight tonnage.
Below are the types of Ro-Ro ships and their technical details.
Con-Ro Vessels:
Con-ro vessels combine the features of traditional container vessels and roll-on/roll-off vessels. They evenly balance the weight load on their decks. There are dedicated areas for both vehicles and containers.
Their carrying capacity ranges from 20000 to 50000 DWT.
Pure Car Carrier(PCC) and Pure Car and Truck Carrier(PCTC)
As obvious by their names, pure car carriers(PCC) carry cars, and pure car and truck carriers(PCTC) carry bigger four-wheelers like trucks along with cars.
The carrying capacity of PCC and PCTC is usually measured in car equivalent units(CEU), which simply means the number of standard-sized cars a vessel can carry. It ranges from 2000 CEUs for smaller PCCs to 7000 CEUs for larger PCTCs.
Gen-Ro Vessels:
The Gen-Ro ships carry general cargo with vehicles. They are smaller than the other vessels we discussed.
Their carrying capacity ranges from 2000 to 30000 DWT.
RoPax Vessels
These are the Ro-Ro vessels that also offer accommodation for passengers along with vehicles.
They can carry 500-1500 passengers and 1000 to 3000 lane meters of vehicles.
Engine Power and Performance
A typical ro-ro ship can have an engine power of around 34 MW. They usually have a speed of 16-17 knots and 48-70 tons of fuel per day.
Uses of Ro-Ro Vessels
Commercial Uses
- Ro-Ro vessels are used by automotive industries to transport their trucks, cars, trams, and other vehicles throughout the world.
- Ro-Ro vessels can also be used to transport emergency vehicles to different parts of the world in a natural disaster.
Industrial Uses
- They are also used by the construction industry or mining industry to transport plants, heavy equipment, and vehicles like bulldozers and cranes.
Advantages of Ro-Ro Vessels
- Ro-Ro vessels provide a safe and efficient way of transporting vehicles. Cars and trucks are driven into and out of the vessel, which greatly reduces the chances of their damage.
- They can carry vehicles of a wide range, from smaller cars to breakbulk cranes, making them a one-stop solution for vehicle transport.
- Vehicles can be loaded and unloaded in minutes. Which means there is less cargo handling and faster delivery.
FAQs
Q: What is the purpose of Ro-Ro vessels?
A: The major purpose of these vessels is to transport wheeled vessels like motorcycles and cars.
Q: What is Ro-Ro in shipping?
A: Ro-Ro is actually the short form of roll on/roll on. These vessels allow wheeled cargo like cars and trucks to be easily driven into and out of the ship rather than loading and unloading using cranes.
Q: What is better, Ro-Ro or container ships?
A: Ro-Ro vessels mostly ship vessels to most of the major hubs worldwide. But if you’re looking to ship your vessel to an obscure destination or take an unconventional route, you might not find a Ro-Ro vessel and go for a container ship.