Roro ships are vessels mainly used for carrying wheeled cargo. These ships are different from lo-lo (lift on-lift off) ship that applies a crane to stack the cargo. Ro-ro is an acronym for roll-off or roll-on. The vehicles in the ship are loaded and unloaded through built-in ramps. Generally, these ramps are found towards the backside stern of the vessel. In some vessels, these are also made on the bow side or front and the sides as well. There are both military and merchant types of ships are available.
Types of a ro-ro ship
Some of the roro ship types include:
1. Ropax
This variation of ro-ro ship is meant for freight vehicle transport along with passenger/drivers accommodation. It has hotel/catering facilities for the passengers. Ropax is the acronym for roll on or roll off passenger. The ropax vessels are geared to cater for the trades and services where there are major trailer routes.
2. Conro
This type is a hybrid between a roro and a container vessel. Conro vessels use the area below the decks for vehicle storage while loading containerized freight on the deck tops.
3. Rolo
It is also a hybrid type of vessel with ramps that serve vehicle decks whereas the other cargo decks are accessible by crane only. Rolo is an acronym for roll-on lift-off ship.
Advantages of a roro ship
A roro ship is more advanced than traditional ships. Hence, it offers a number of advantages and some of them are as follows:
- Speed is the advantage for the shipper. Lorries and cars can drive straight on to the vessel at one port and then drive off at another port very soon after the ship docking, a lot of time of the shipper can be saved.
- This ship can also combine well with other transport development, for example, containers. The application of customs-sealed units allows frontiers to be crossed at the earliest possible time. So, it helps increase the effectiveness and speed for the shipper.
- The ro-ro concept on ferries has also gained immense popularity with private car owners and holiday makers. It has greatly contributed to the prospect and growth of tourism. With the help of a ro-ro vessel an individual can easily take their car from one country to another via sea.
Leading Norwegian shipping companies offer traditional as well as modern roro vessels for sale at affordable rates.
