Dernière mise à jour : 22 octobre 2026

A freight ship, also called a cargo ship or freighter, is any vessel built to carry goods rather than people. Around 80% of world trade by volume moves by sea, on ships designed for very different cargoes: boxes, cars, grain, oil and gas. Here are the main types of cargo ships, how they work, and which ones you can actually travel on as a passenger.

Freight ship types at a glance

Porte-conteneurs

Container ships carry standard boxes measured in TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units). They run regular scheduled routes between major ports, which is why they are the most common choice for passenger cabins. The largest container ships now carry over 24,000 TEU and are around 400 metres long.

Ro-ro ships and car carriers

Ro-ro stands for roll-on, roll-off: vehicles drive on and off via ramps. Car carriers look like huge floating car parks. Some ro-ro and con-ro (container plus ro-ro) services carry passengers, and they are popular with travellers who want to ship a car or motorbike on the same voyage.

General cargo and multipurpose ships

These smaller ships carry everything from steel and timber to wind turbine blades. They often serve smaller ports, which makes for unusual itineraries, but their schedules are less predictable.

Bulk carriers

Bulk carriers transport loose cargo such as grain, coal and iron ore in large holds. They tend to sail on charter voyages with no fixed timetable, so passenger berths are rare.

Tankers

Tankers carry liquids: crude oil, refined products, chemicals and liquefied gas. Because of the safety rules for dangerous cargo, they almost never carry paying passengers.

Reefer ships

Reefers are refrigerated ships for fruit, meat and fish. Many have been replaced by refrigerated containers on container ships.

Which freight ships can you travel on?

For most travellers the answer is a navire porte-conteneurs: regular routes, modern accommodation and predictable ports. Ro-ro and con-ro services are a good alternative if you are shipping a vehicle. If you are curious about a particular ship type or route, ask us and we will tell you what is currently available.

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