Container shipments Here are some more terms that apply to cargo shipments: Shipper : The person or company that sends the cargo. Consignee : The person or company that receives the cargo. Full container load (FCL) One shipper has cargo in this container. One consignee will receive all the cargo in this container. FCL (Full Container Load) This…
Before containerisation Cargo used to be loaded using slings, nets, pallets (wooden boards on which cargo is placed), and other equipment Slings and nets were typical cargo handling techniques used for ships like this. Using the so-called “break-bulk” method of cargowork, Individual items of cargo had to be handled, often one at a time, meaning that…
Tankers are ships that carry liquid cargoes in tanks. Some are designed to carry crude oil (oil produced straight from under the surface of the earth) from the place of production to a port so that it can be piped to a refinery to be changed into useful oil products such a petrol, diesel, paraffin,…
Products tankers vary in capacity and therefore in size. Some are very small to enable them to enter small ports or to trade on inland waterways, canals and rivers; others are larger and carry oil products between ports that are further apart. Products tankers carry all kinds of liquids : Petrol Diesel Aircraft fuel Bitumen…
Some of these vessels are designed to carry LNG. Others carry LPG. LNG is Liquefied Natural Gas. (The gas that comes from gas reserves below the surface of the earth). LPG = Liquefied Petroleum Gas (The gas that is a by-product of the oil refining process.) LNG is liquefied by cooling it to -165˚C. This…
Prospecting Vessels These vessels play an important part in searching for oil and gas below the seabed. Others play a role in collecting that oil or gas and bringing it ashore for refining. Some undersea prospecting vessels have a Dynamic Positioning System that via links to satellites and links to a special propulsion system, can…
Concept of Ecosystems The marine ecosystem includes the oceans, the inter-tidal zone along shorelines, river mouths, lagoons and the seabed. Within that sphere, a system exists where minute plant life supports the lowest level of animal life, which, in turn, supports a longer chain where animals on one level are the prey (food) for those…
In some areas, the seabed is a source of diamonds, while beneath the seabed – sometimes at considerable depth – lie oil and gas, and perhaps other minerals. To find and recover diamonds or to prospect for and produce oil or gas from below the seabed present difficulties and require specialised ships and platforms. Indeed,…
Ocean Currents Numbers refer to the currents shown on the map. Warm Currents flowing from the tropical regions 1. Mozambique Current 2. Agulhas Current, 3. Brazilian Current 4. Gulf Stream 5. North Atlantic Drift (a relatively warm current in the area close to North-west Europe). 6. South Equatorial Current Cold Currents flowing from the polar regions 7. Canaries Current 8. Benguela Current 9. West…
The gravitational pull of the moon and the sun have an effect on the oceans, raising the water level on one side of the earth and causing a high tide. Because of the rotation of the earth, centrifugal force causes the water level to rise on the opposite side of the earth at the same…