Dry bulk operations

Dry bulk means unpackaged solid cargo poured straight into a ship's holds: iron ore, coal, bauxite, grains, sugar, fertilisers, cement. It is the workhorse of global trade. The economics are dominated by vessel size, loading/discharge rates, and how accurately you measure quantity.

Vessel classes (by deadweight tonnes, DWT)

• Handysize (~10,000–35,000 DWT) — small, flexible, own cranes (gear), reaches minor ports.
• Handymax / Supramax / Ultramax (~40,000–65,000 DWT) — geared, very common for minor bulks.
• Panamax / Kamsarmax (~65,000–85,000 DWT) — sized to transit the original Panama Canal locks; coal and grain staples.
• Capesize (~150,000–200,000 DWT) — too big for the canals, so they sail 'around the Cape'; iron ore and coal on long hauls.
• VLOC (Very Large Ore Carrier, 200,000 DWT+) — dedicated ore giants.

Loading, measuring and the operator's job

Bulk is loaded by conveyor, chute, grab or shiploader, then trimmed (levelled) so the cargo is safe and the vessel correctly balanced. Quantity is usually established by draft survey — measuring how deep the ship sits before and after loading and converting the displacement difference into tonnes. The operator coordinates the load plan, the surveyor, the documents, and the timing — because every extra hour at berth has a price (you'll meet it in the laytime lesson).

DWT (deadweight)

The total weight a ship can carry — cargo plus fuel, stores and water.

Geared / gearless

Geared ships have their own cranes; gearless rely on shore equipment.

Draft survey

Determining cargo weight from how deep the vessel sits in the water.

Stowage factor

Volume a unit of cargo occupies — decides whether you 'fill or weigh out'.