1% of Ships are Cruise Ships, Here’s What The Rest Are

I see an awful lot of cruise ships, being a full-time cruise blogger.

Sometimes you can go to a busy port and find three or four cruise ships docked there.

It’s easy to think that cruise ships must make up a large percentage of ships at sea, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Although there are hundreds of cruise ships sailing, they make up only 1% of ships at sea.

What Makes Up The Rest?

These are the figures according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)

Cargo Ships – 25%

A cargo ship is a general term for any merchant vessel that carries goods. Unlike a container ship, it isn’t designed to carry standard shipping containers.

General cargo vessels carry packaged items. These could be chemicals, foods, furniture, machinery, cars, clothing – anything really.

Cargo ships often travel along established trade routes that have been in use for centuries, such as the Silk Road, Incense Route or the Spice Route.

The average lifespan of a cargo ship is around 25 years. If it is well maintained, the ship’s life can be extended up to around 40 years.

Cargo ships can travel up to 25 knots (around 29 miles per hour) on open waters, which is faster than most people would think.

The cargo ship industry has made significant progress in reducing its carbon footprint. New ships are built with advanced fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies.

Bulk Carriers – 23%

A bulk carrier, also known as a bulker, is a specialised cargo ship designed to transport unpackaged dry bulk cargo.

This could be grain, coal, iron ore, cement, timber, rice, sugar, etc.

Their design focuses on maximising capacity for large volumes of dry goods.

Many bulk carriers are owned by Greek, Japanese, or Chinese companies, and many are registered in Panama.

South Korea is the largest builder of bulk carriers, and a large percentage of them are built in Asia.

Ferries (Including roll-on-roll-off ferries) – 20%

Ferries often perform short journeys for a mix of passengers, cars and commercial vehicles.

Most of these ships are Ro-Ro (roll on–roll off) ferries. Vehicles can drive straight on and off, making it a quick and easy way to travel.

Many Ro-Ro ferries operate on short-sea trades and make frequent port calls.

Ro-Ro ferries have either built-in ramps or use ramps or ferry slips onshore. This allows the cargo to be efficiently rolled on and off the vessel when in port.

I took a really interesting trip on a Norwegian Coastal Ferry. Havila have four ships that sail north and south between Kirkenes and Bergen all year round. The voyage stops at 34 different ports. 

They serve as a vital transportation link for residents, including those commuting between towns and villages along the coast. 

Because the ships offer both passenger and cargo transport, they can connect areas that may be difficult to access by road. 

Havila ships are powered by a combination of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and large battery packs.

The batteries can be charged while docked using clean Norwegian hydropower. This hybrid system allows the ships to operate for up to four hours with zero emissions, and the battery packs are claimed to be the largest ever installed on a passenger ship.

Find out what I thought of my Havila journey here:

Oil and LNG Tankers – 13%

Oil and LNG tankers are specialised ships designed for transporting crude oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG) across great distances

Oil tankers are also known as petroleum tankers. They move crude oil and refined products.

LNG tankers transport natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state

These specially designed ships:

• Have double hulls:
  • Ships often have double hulls to prevent leaks and spills. 
• Have lots of storage onboard:
  • Have multiple, separate holds or compartments, each capable of holding a large volume of cargo.
• Often have safety concerns raised:
  • LNG tankers often raise safety concerns when navigating near densely populated areas. There are often special navigational restrictions in place. 
• Are often fuel efficient:
  • Some LNG tankers use natural gas as their fuel for propulsion. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional ships

Container Ships – 10%

Container ships are a subset of cargo ships.

Container ships are large vessels designed to transport standardised shipping containers. They play a very important role in global trade.

They are highly efficient, allowing for rapid loading and unloading of cargo in shipping containers.

If you have been to ports like Zeebrugge ( for Bruges) or Southampton, you will have seen piles and piles of these containers stacked on the dockside.

Malcolm McLean first created shipping containers in 1955.

McLean wanted to find a more efficient way of moving shipping cargo than the pallets and crates that were used at the time.

His containers were revolutionary, as they made stacking and lifting cargo easy.

He also gave away the patent for free so everyone in the shipping industry could use them.

You may think of MSC as being a cruise company, but they started as a shipping company.

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is currently the world’s largest container shipping company. In terms of TEU capacity, MSC has overtaken Maersk.

(TEU capacity stands for Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit. It’s a standard unit of measurement for the capacity of container ships and ports, representing the volume of a standard 20-foot shipping container.)

Interesting Facts About Shipping Containers:

• 20 million shipping containers are travelling at any given time
  • It’s highly likely that a shipping container has travelled further than you!
• Around 50% of all shipping containers are owned by shipping companies.
  • The rest of them are leased, with the lease running for a year to ten years.
• Every year, ships lose containers at sea, whether due to bad weather or accidents.
  • Experts believe that 2,000 to 10,000 are lost each year.
• Containers that fall off of ships don’t always sink. Most of them float.
  • They float just below the water’s surface, which means they aren’t visible to sailing vessels.
  • Lost containers can end up damaging any vessels unfortunate enough to cross their paths.
• Shipping containers are made from COR TEN (or Corten) steel. This steel, known as weathering steel, was designed to eliminate the need for painting even when shipping containers endure extended exposure to weather and harsh conditions.
• Disused shipping containers can be repurposed for a wide variety of purposes. Such as:
  • Housing
  • Commercial shopping facilities
  • Restaurants
  • Storage containers for secure storage
  • Medical facilities

Chemical Tankers – 8%

Chemical tankers are specialised cargo ships designed for transporting liquid chemicals in bulk. 

They are used for the global distribution of a wide range of chemicals, from petrochemicals and acids to edible oils and biofuels. 

These vessels are built to meet high, specific safety regulations due to the hazardous nature of many chemical cargos. 

Chemical Tankers:

• Have a Specialised Design
  • They are typically designed with multiple cargo tanks, often made of stainless steel or coated to withstand the corrosive effects of the various chemicals they carry.
• Are Designed with Safety in mind:
  • They must comply with the International Bulk Chemical Code (IBC Code), which outlines safety standards for transporting hazardous chemicals. 
• Cargo Carried:
  • They transport all sorts of chemicals – including petrochemicals, acids, alcohols, oils, etc. 
• Have different Classifications:
  • The IBC Code categorises chemical tankers into different types – ST1, ST2, ST3 – based on the hazard levels of the cargo they transport.
    • Type 1 is for the most hazardous cargo. 
• Can be Multi-Purpose:
  • Some chemical tankers are also designed to carry clean petroleum products or other specific cargoes, making them more versatile. 

Chemical tankers play a crucial role in international trade by transporting raw materials and finished products. 

They are integral to the global supply chain, making sure chemicals are delivered on time to industries and consumers. 

It is very easy to take everyday items for granted – our car, PC, phone, clothes, food, medicines we need, the hand sanitiser and disinfectants, all those gadgets and household items that make our lives a little easier and safer.

You probably do not think of chemicals when using these products. But they are all made with chemicals, carried by sea to producers who need them to make all sorts of everyday items.

Other chemicals are used to manufacture medicines and vaccines, fertilisers, car parts, clothing and other textiles, make-up and skin products, drinking bottles and toys, house paints and insulation, and various electronic products.

The world would be a very different place without these chemical tankers at sea, making their global deliveries.

Cruise Ships – 1%

So as you can see, cruise ships make up only a small fraction of ships at sea!

According to CLIA (Cruise Line International Association) figures:

• There are around 306 Cruise Ships in service.
• There has been a 16% reduction in Environmental Emissions of cruise ships.
  • On average, there has been a reduction in CO2 emissions per cruise ship since 2018 by ships in Europe.
• Are now more sustainable.
  • There are 267 Freshwater producing ships.
  • State-of-the-art systems enable cruise lines to produce up to 90% of water on board rather than draw from areas where resources are limited
• The industry as a whole has a $168.6 Billion Economic Impact
  • In 2023, the cruise industry generated $168.6 billion in total economic impact globally, a 9% increase over 2019

Before You Go

Find out why ferries are so different from cruise ships here:

5 HUGE Differences Between a Ferry and a Cruise Ship (Real Examples)

Find out what ship prefix letters mean here:

RMS, SS, MS and More: What Do Those Ship Prefix Letters Actually Mean?