{"id":100036,"date":"2026-10-26T08:08:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T08:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/?p=100036"},"modified":"2026-10-26T08:08:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T08:08:43","slug":"what-is-a-freighter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/what-is-a-freighter","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Freighter? Freighter Ships Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"chb-post\">\n\n<p class=\"chb-updated\">Last updated: 26 October 2026 &middot; By Steve Joury, cargo trip advisor at CargoHolidays<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"chb-lede\"><strong>A freighter is a ship designed to carry cargo rather than passengers &ndash; in other words, a cargo ship.<\/strong> Freighters move most of the world&rsquo;s trade, and a few also carry a handful of paying passengers. Here&rsquo;s what the word means, the main types and how freighter travel works.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"chb-cta-bar\">\n<a class=\"chb-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/solicitar-un-crucero-de-carga\/\">Find a freighter voyage &rarr;<\/a>\n<a class=\"chb-btn chb-btn--ghost\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/companias-navieras-que-transportan-pasajeros\/\">Lines that take passengers<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"chb-keyfacts\">\n<p class=\"chb-keyfacts-title\">Key facts at a glance<\/p>\n<ul><li>A <strong>carguero<\/strong> is a vessel built to carry goods.<\/li><li>&lsquo;Freighter&rsquo; and &lsquo;cargo ship&rsquo; mean essentially the same thing.<\/li><li>Main types: <strong>container ships, bulk carriers, tankers and ro-ro ships<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Freighters on fixed routes are &lsquo;liners&rsquo;; those going wherever cargo is are &lsquo;tramps&rsquo;.<\/li><li>Some freighters take <strong>up to 12 passengers<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<nav class=\"chb-toc\" aria-label=\"Contents\">\n<p class=\"chb-toc-title\">In this guide<\/p>\n<ol><li><a href=\"#what-is-a-freighter-the-simple-definition\">What is a freighter? The simple definition<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#types-of-freighters\">Types of freighters<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#liners-and-tramps\">Liners and tramps<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#freighter-vs-cruise-ship\">Freighter vs cruise ship<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#can-you-travel-on-a-freighter\">Can you travel on a freighter?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#faq\">Preguntas frecuentes<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n\n<h2 id=\"what-is-a-freighter-the-simple-definition\">What is a freighter? The simple definition<\/h2>\n<p><strong>What is a freighter?<\/strong> It&rsquo;s any ship whose main job is carrying freight &ndash; goods, raw materials or vehicles &ndash; rather than people. The word is also used for cargo aircraft (&ldquo;air freighters&rdquo;) and, on the Great Lakes, for long lake ships. In everyday shipping language, freighter and cargo ship are interchangeable.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"chb-figure\"><img src=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Cargo-ship-travel-cargo-cruise-with-cargoholidays113.jpg\" alt=\"What is a freighter &ndash; a container freighter at sea\" title=\"What is a freighter &ndash; a container freighter at sea\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption>A freighter is simply a ship built to carry cargo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"types-of-freighters\">Types of freighters<\/h2>\n<table><thead><tr><th>Tipo<\/th><th>Carries<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody>\n<tr><td>Container ship<\/td><td>Goods in standard containers<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Bulk carrier<\/td><td>Loose dry cargo: ore, coal, grain<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Tanker<\/td><td>Oil, chemicals, liquefied gas<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Ro-ro ship<\/td><td>Cars, trucks and wheeled cargo<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>General cargo \/ multipurpose<\/td><td>Mixed and project cargo<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Reefer<\/td><td>Refrigerated food<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table>\n<p>For more detail see <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/freight-ship-types-of-cargo-ships\/\">tipos de buques de carga<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/what-is-a-bulk-carrier\/\">what is a bulk carrier<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/what-is-a-ro-ro-ship\/\">what is a ro-ro ship<\/a> y <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/what-is-an-oil-tanker\/\">what is an oil tanker<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"liners-and-tramps\">Liners and tramps<\/h2>\n<p>Freighters work in two main ways. <strong>Liners<\/strong> follow fixed routes and schedules, like a bus service &ndash; most container ships work this way. <strong>Tramps<\/strong> go wherever the next cargo is, often bulk carriers and tankers. Passenger travel is almost always on liners, because the schedule is predictable.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"chb-figure\"><img src=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/what-is-a-freighter-infographic-cargoholidays.jpg\" alt=\"What is a freighter infographic\" title=\"What is a freighter infographic\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption>Freighters explained at a glance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"freighter-vs-cruise-ship\">Freighter vs cruise ship<\/h2>\n<p>A cruise ship exists to carry passengers in comfort. A freighter exists to carry cargo, and any passengers are a small extra. That&rsquo;s why a freighter has no casino or theatre &ndash; but it does have big sea views, a working crew and real authenticity.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"can-you-travel-on-a-freighter\">Can you travel on a freighter?<\/h2>\n<p>Yes. Some shipping lines have a few cabins for paying passengers, typically up to 12, which is the limit before a ship must carry a doctor and be classed as a passenger ship. Fares are about &euro;100&ndash;150 per day including meals. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/companias-navieras-que-transportan-pasajeros\/\">shipping lines that take passengers<\/a> y <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/how-to-book-a-cargo-ship-voyage\/\">how to book a cargo ship voyage<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"chb-tip\"><strong>Tip:<\/strong> On the Great Lakes, &ldquo;freighter&rdquo; usually means a long, narrow lake ship &ndash; see <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/great-lakes-freighters\/\">Great Lakes freighters<\/a>.<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"chb-related\" aria-label=\"Gu\u00edas relacionadas\">\n<h2 id=\"related-guides\">Related cargo ship travel guides<\/h2>\n<div class=\"chb-grid\"><a class=\"chb-card\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/freight-ship-types-of-cargo-ships\/\"><span class=\"chb-card-kicker\">Ships<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-title\">Types of cargo ships<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-more\">Read guide &rarr;<\/span><\/a><a class=\"chb-card\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/companias-navieras-que-transportan-pasajeros\/\"><span class=\"chb-card-kicker\">Travel<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-title\">Shipping lines that take passengers<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-more\">Read guide &rarr;<\/span><\/a><a class=\"chb-card\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/great-lakes-freighters\/\"><span class=\"chb-card-kicker\">Ships<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-title\">Great Lakes freighters<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-more\">Read guide &rarr;<\/span><\/a><a class=\"chb-card\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/inside-a-cargo-ship\/\"><span class=\"chb-card-kicker\">Ships<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-title\">Inside a cargo ship<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-more\">Read guide &rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<h2 id=\"faq\">Preguntas frecuentes<\/h2>\n<div class=\"chb-faq\">\n<h3>What is a freighter?<\/h3>\n<p>A ship (or aircraft) designed mainly to carry cargo rather than passengers.<\/p><h3>Is a freighter the same as a cargo ship?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. In shipping the two terms mean essentially the same thing.<\/p><h3>Can passengers travel on freighters?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, some freighters carry up to 12 paying passengers.<\/p><h3>What is a tramp freighter?<\/h3>\n<p>A freighter without a fixed route that goes wherever the next cargo is.<\/p><h3>What is the biggest type of freighter?<\/h3>\n<p>The largest container ships and crude oil tankers are among the biggest freighters afloat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"chb-booking\">\n<p class=\"chb-booking-title\">Travel on a freighter<\/p>\n<p>Join a working cargo ship as one of just a few passengers.<\/p>\n<a class=\"chb-btn chb-btn--big\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/solicitar-un-crucero-de-carga\/\">Find a freighter voyage &rarr;<\/a>\n<p class=\"chb-booking-small\">Free, no-obligation quote &middot; Reply within 48 hours &middot; <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/pregunte-al-capitan\/\">Pregunte al capit\u00e1n<\/a> &middot; <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/como-proceder-en-un-crucero-de-carga\/\">How booking works<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\n    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n    \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n    \"mainEntity\": [\n        {\n            \"@type\": \"Question\",\n            \"name\": \"What is a freighter?\",\n            \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                \"text\": \"A ship (or aircraft) designed mainly to carry cargo rather than passengers.\"\n            }\n        },\n        {\n            \"@type\": \"Question\",\n            \"name\": \"Is a freighter the same as a cargo ship?\",\n            \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                \"text\": \"Yes. 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Freighters move most of the world&rsquo;s trade, and a few also carry a handful of paying passengers. Here&rsquo;s what the word means, [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99986,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single3.php","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[357],"tags":[1579,1773,949],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100036"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100036"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100037,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100036\/revisions\/100037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100036"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=100036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}