Bulk Carrier

Definitions #

A seagoing vessel designed to transport large quantities of unpacked, homogeneous cargo such as grain, coal, ore, or cement.

Technical A single-deck cargo ship with large holds and specialized equipment, optimized for loading and discharging dry or liquid bulk commodities, often with self-trimming or geared options.

Example The panamax bulk carrier loaded 70,000 tons of iron ore at the Brazilian port.

Etymology #

From 'bulk' (cargo not in packages, from Old Norse 'bulki' meaning heap or cargo) and 'carrier' (from Latin 'carrus').

Collocations #

handysize bulk carrier 灵便型散货船，约 1-3.5 万载重吨
capesize bulk carrier 好望角型散货船，超 10 万载重吨，因无法通过苏伊士运河而需绕行好望角
geared bulk carrier 自带动力吊机的散货船，可无需港口设备自行装卸

Real Business Examples #

The capesize bulk carrier diverted around the Cape of Good Hope due to the Suez blockage.
Charterers inspected the holds of the geared bulk carrier to ensure cleanliness before loading grain.
The charter party specified laytime for 3,000 tons per day for loading the handysize bulk carrier.

Register & Variants #

Register: neutral
BrE/AmE: 全球通用

Synonyms & Antonyms #

Synonyms: dry bulk ship, freighter
Antonyms: container ship, tanker (for liquid cargo)

Common Errors #

将 bulk carrier 与 container ship 混淆 Bulk carrier 运散货，container ship 运集装箱货物，两者在装卸和船舶结构上完全不同。

Confusable Terms #

Tanker vs Bulk Carrier: Tanker 运液体货物（如石油、化学品），bulk carrier 通常运干散货（若运液体则称 liquid bulk carrier）。

Frequently Asked Questions

Bulk carrier 的最大尺寸是多少？?

通常视港口和航线而定，capesize 可超 20 万载重吨，但受港口水深和装卸设施限制。

Bulk carrier 如何装卸？?

用岸上或船上的斗式和抓斗设备，或通过自卸系统，具体依货物类型（如粮食、煤炭）而定。

Published: 2026-09-25 Category: Shipping