Sea cargo reference
Ultramax
More cargo than a Supramax, on nearly the same hull. The notes below cover the cargo, the way the hull is arranged, and the limit that puts a ship in this class.
- Typical deadweight
- Typically about 60,000-65,999 DWT
- Length overall
- Typically about 200 m
- Beam
- About 32.24 m
- The limit that names it
- Geared, built to the same port acceptability as Supramax
- Ship's gear
- Geared, typically four cranes of 30 to 35 tonnes
- Usual trade
- Worldwide
- Typical draught
- About 13 m
- Cargo holds
- 5
Names such as Handysize, Supramax and Capesize are market habits, not a written standard. Brokers, exchanges and owners do not all use the same deadweight band. Canal and berth limits below are published figures and stay fixed. The deadweight ranges are a guide.
Ultramax bulkers
The current step in the geared bulker: more deadweight than a Supramax on much the same dimensions, and better fuel use per tonne carried.
Ultramax designs came out of the push for lower fuel use after the 2008 downturn. Improved hull forms and more efficient machinery carry more cargo for less fuel.
It has become the default choice for a new geared ship, and it is gradually taking the place of Supramax as the size that yards are asked to build.
Cargo on board
How the hull is arranged
- One deck, with large holds closed by steel hatch covers that roll or fold aside for grabs and conveyors.
- Ballast sits in the double bottom and in the topside and hopper tanks. Those tanks also shape the hold so the cargo trims itself as it settles.
- Corrugated bulkheads stand between the holds. They take the push of a dense cargo without extra frames inside the space.
- Engine and accommodation sit aft, so the forward length stays free for cargo.
- Geared ships carry deck cranes or derricks between the hatches and can work where the port has no gear of its own.
Why this trade uses it
- A dry commodity moves with no bags, boxes or lashings, which keeps the cost per tonne low.
- Where the shore gear is good, grabs, conveyors and shiploaders shift thousands of tonnes an hour.
- A geared ship can call at ports that have no cranes.
- Holds can take several parcels of different commodities on one voyage.
Settle these points before you fix
- Iron ore and other dense cargoes load the hull hard. The loading order is strict, so the ship is not overstressed.
- Some concentrates and fines can turn liquid. They have to be checked against the transportable moisture limit before loading.
- Draft and air draft decide which berths and waterways the ship can use. Both shift with the season and the fresh-water allowance.