Merchant ship

A vessel operated commercially to carry cargo or passengers for trade. Merchant ships are distinct from warships, which serve military purposes.

Container ship: A cargo ship designed to carry standardized intermodal containers. Container ships move much of the world’s manufactured trade in standardized units.
Hull: The watertight body of a vessel that provides buoyancy and supports its structure. Hull form shapes a merchant ship’s capacity, stability, and resistance through water.
Tanker: A ship designed to carry liquid cargo in bulk. Tankers move petroleum, chemicals, and other liquids that require specialized containment.
Phoenician trade: The maritime commerce conducted by ancient Phoenician city-states across the Mediterranean and beyond. Phoenician traders exemplify early commercial seafaring networks linking distant ports.
Globalization: The growing integration of economies, societies, and regions through cross-border flows. Low-cost maritime freight enables production and consumption to span continents.
Bulk carrier: A cargo ship built to transport unpackaged bulk commodities such as ore, grain, or coal. Bulk carriers serve trades that cannot be efficiently packed into containers.
Diesel engine: An internal-combustion engine that ignites fuel through compression. Large diesel engines have powered most modern oceangoing merchant ships.
LNG carrier: A ship built to transport liquefied natural gas in insulated tanks. LNG carriers make long-distance seaborne trade in natural gas possible.
Hanseatic League: A commercial and defensive association of merchant guilds and towns in northern Europe. Its trading network shows how merchant shipping supported organized regional commerce.
International Maritime Organization: A United Nations agency responsible for global standards on maritime safety and pollution prevention. Its conventions regulate many hazards created by international merchant shipping.

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