Undoubtedly, Ro-Ro ships have greater advantages regarding cargo handling over general cargo ships. This is further advanced with the development of a large variety of highly specialized equipment for handling cargo aboard the Ro-Ro ships. This has significantly reduced the time for cargo loading and discharging on the freight Ro-Ro vessels from one to six hours.
Before investing in the Roro vessels for sale, it’s a wise idea to take a look at this article and learn more about its advanced cargo handling equipment. But before that, let’s quickly mention the types of cargo carried by Ro-Ro ships:
1. Swap bodies
2. Trailers and reefer trailers
3. Auto-trailers
4. Cassettes
5. Roll-trailers with 20’ and 40’ containers upon them
6. Cars
7. Rail wagons
8. General and project cargo
Required Equipment for an Efficient Ro-Ro Cargo Handling
1. Tug Masters –
Ro-Ro cargo handling by using tug masters has turned out to be an efficient operation and thereby is popular all over the world. The tug masters are indispensable, more so in the areas where the cargo is transported backwards, without any normal tug (such as trailers and roll trailers), and through a narrow ramp. Such tug masters are more manoeuvrable and powerful than general vehicle tugs.
2. Straddle Carriers –
Such cargo handling equipment has various advantages. One of these is that the terminal operator is easier to access for every handled container.
Despite its advantage, this type of equipment is not quite common in Ro-Ro terminals partly due to its high price and excessive use of terminal space. Another reason is that the major parts of the Ro-Ro units are trailers and not 20′ and 40′ containers.
3. Fork Lift Trucks –
Fork lift trucks are usually seen in Ro-Ro terminals than straddle carriers since these have lower cost and higher reliability. These can stow containers in such a manner that no space is wasted. However, the number of containers that a terminal operator can handle is limited.
Also, one should be aware of the stability issue of fork lift trucks. Since most of the weight and load of the truck is concentrated towards the front axle, it significantly affects the terminal’s surface or the ship’s deck.
However, new generation fork lift trucks are being manufactured carefully to ensure higher efficiency.
4. Side Loaders –
Unlike fork lift trucks, here the cargo space is wider. The pressure on the deck is also low and hardly exceeds 30 tons.
But wide use of tug masters and the new age fork lift trucks is eliminating the relevance of side loaders.
Contact a Reputed Shipbroker
For an efficient and quick Ro-Ro cargo handling operations, it’s important to have an in-depth knowledge about cargo handling equipment. And to ensure that all the equipment are functional, it’s crucial to contact a reputed shipbroker, such as Norwegian Ship Sales AS.
The Ropax vessels for sale are regulated by the Class Society to maintain superb quality. Some of the certificates that indicate the top quality of the vessels include Energy Efficiency Certificate, Inventory of Hazardous Materials Statement or Compliance, Tonnage Certificate, etc.
Conclusion :
With profuse experience of serving the shipping field, Norwegian Ship Sales AS is the perfect pick if you seek to purchase Roro vessels for sale. Call +47 6754 1925 or +47 9177 6183 or drop a mail at info@norshipsale.no or o.jebsen@norshipsale.no for any query.
