Transport & Freight Handling

Cargo Types

Shipping is grouped by how the cargo is packaged and handled:

• Breakbulk (general cargo): cargo shipped as individual pieces or bundles rather than loose bulk or in standard containers. Common examples are machinery, steel beams, bags, drums, and palletized goods that are too big, heavy, or irregular for normal containers.​ These items are loaded and secured piece by piece in a ship’s hold or on deck, often using cranes and special lifting gear.

• Containerized cargo: cargo shipped in standardized metal containers, usually ###-*** units. It can include everything from manufactured goods and electronics to some bulk or liquid products placed in bags, boxes, or tank containers inside the container.​ Container shipping relies on container ships and intermodal handling so the same unit can be moved without repacking.

• Dry Bulk: unpackaged solid cargo loaded loose into a ship’s holds. Typical examples are coal, iron ore, grain, fertilizers, and similar granular or powdered materials.​ Specialized dry bulk carriers are designed with large holds and handling gear to load and discharge these cargoes efficiently.

• Liquid Bulk: fluid cargo loaded directly into tanks or a ship’s built‑in cargo spaces rather than in separate packages. It includes items like crude oil, petroleum products, chemicals, liquefied gases, and some food‑grade liquids such as vegetable oils and wine. These cargoes are carried on tankers or in tank containers and flexitanks, with pumps and pipelines used for loading and discharge.

• Roll‑on/roll‑off (Ro‑Ro): Roll‑on/roll‑off shipping is used for cargo that can drive or be towed on and off the vessel, including some heavy equipment.​ Ro‑Ro ships have built‑in ramps and decks designed for fast loading and unloading of vehicles without cranes.

Shipping Volumes

Note: "volume" is interchanged with "mass" in regards to SFC's freight rules. While they are very different concepts, this is intended to ease the details necessary for the simulation.

Both dry and liquid bulk cargo are loaded directly in the massive holds or tanks of a vessel and do not require packaging or additional shipping volume to be used.

Typical breakbulk, those items that can be secured within a reasonable rectangular amount of space (such as most machinery), require additional ship's volume. This "broken stowage" accounts for approximately 20% additional volume.

Multiply the cargo mass by 1.25 for the total required shipping mass.

Irregular-shaped breakbulk, those items with widely differing dimensions or protuberances, generally require greater broken stowage volume, equivalent to 40% of that of the cargo alone.

Multiply the cargo's mass by 1.67 for the total required shipping mass.

Uniform cargo, as represented by containerized cargo, is much more efficient than breakbulk and only has an 8% broken stowage requirement.

Multiply the cargo's mass by 1.09 for the total required shipping mass.