An ocean liner is a traditional type of passenger ship. They are designed to transport passengers along a predetermined route from one part of the world to another. This type of vessel was popular at the beginning of the twentieth century for crossing Atlantic Ocean, however, with the development of aviation, this type maritime transport became unpopular. In the 1980s, ocean liners evolved into cruise ships.

Queen Mary 2 - ocean liner

A cruise ship is a vessel that travels international flight and transporting passengers participating in a group tourist program and accommodated on the ship for the purpose of short-term tourist visits according to the schedule of one or more ports open for entry by foreign ships. Today, many ships combine the characteristics of two types: the speed of an ocean liner and the luxury of a cruise ship. Cruise ships are organized like a hotel; in addition to the usual crew, such ships have service personnel for passengers.

Voyager of the Seas- a cruise ship

Special mention should be made of river cruise ships that make cruise travel along internal waterways with stops at ports. River cruise ships are smaller than ocean cruise ships, typically accommodating between 90 and 240 passengers on board (although some can accommodate more than 1,000 passengers). During river cruises, land is usually within sight, which is especially appealing to those who feel uncomfortable being far from the shore. Some river cruise ships are well-equipped floating hotels with sunbathing areas, restaurants, lounges, gyms, swimming pools, casinos and other amenities for a pleasant stay.

River cruise ship

A cruise ferry is a type of ship that combines the features of a cruise ship and a ferry. Many people use cruise ferries to cruise at various ports to stop for a few hours without leaving the ship, while other passengers use the cruise ferry to transport small amounts of cargo and Vehicle. Cruise ferry shipping is developed in Northern Europe, especially in the Baltic and North Seas. However, cruise ferries are also common in the English Channel, Irish and Mediterranean seas and even in North Atlantic. Some companies in China and Australia also use cruise ferries in their activities.

Types of passenger ships

Passenger ships divided into several types.

• · Ocean liner- a type of ship that follows a given route and delivers passengers from one part of the world to another. This type of ship was very popular in the last century, particularly for crossing the Atlantic. Now ocean liners have evolved into modern cruise ships.
• · Cruise liner- as a rule, makes international flights and transports passengers from one group tourism program, that is, according to a schedule with calls at one or more ports. Modern cruise ships combine a fast ocean liner with the luxury of a tourist hotel.
• · River cruise liners travel around inland waters one state with stops at designated ports. River liners are much smaller than ocean liners, they can accommodate up to 240 passengers.
• · Cruise ferry- a type of vessel that combines the functions of a cruise ship and a ferry.

River passenger ships

All river vessels can be divided into two large categories:

• 1. Vessels equipped with an engine, that is, self-propelled. This includes motor ships, steamships, boats, motor boats, etc.
• 2. Vessels without an engine, that is, non-self-propelled. These are primarily cargo barges, as well as pontoons and other structures.

The main type of self-propelled vessel is a bulk carrier. Bulk carriers transport cargo in a hold located inside the ship's hull. As the name implies, dry cargo ships carry cargo that is not desirable to be exposed to moisture, which is why dry cargo ships are equipped with special hatches.

Among dry cargo ships, there are three types of vessels:

• 1. Roller (ro-ro). This vessel is equipped with vertical loading; it transports cars and other equipment.
• 2. Cars can enter the ship under their own power through folding bow ramps.
• 3. Bulk carrier. This type of vessel is designed for the transportation of bulk, non-packaged (and sometimes liquid) cargo. For example, if the cargo is river sand for delivery, then most likely it will be delivered on a bulk carrier.
• 4. Bulk bulk carrier. Such bulk carriers transport various types liquid cargo such as oil, ammonia, liquid fuel, etc.

If we talk about non-self-propelled vessels, the leader here is the cargo barge. There are several types of barges:

• · Bilge (closed and open), *
• · Areas for bulk transportation,
• · Tent,
• · Self-unloading,
• · Car carriers,
• · Cement tankers,

and others. However, all these types belong to dry cargo barges; there are also liquid barges.

Advantages of river transport

• 1. River transportation cargo have a fairly low cost, and this is a big plus for customers. Low cost is possible due to the low speed of transportation and the presence of currents on the rivers.
• 2. There is no need to build and, accordingly, repair transport routes, as is done for road and rail transport.

Disadvantages of river transport

• 1. Paradoxically, what provides the main advantage is the main disadvantage. We are talking about the low speed of river vessels and, accordingly, long term delivery.
• 2. Relatively weak capabilities in relation to transportation volumes.
• 3. Pronounced seasonality of transportation associated with short navigation. In other words, in winter the rivers freeze and ships are laid up.
• 4. The different depths and widths of rivers in different places and the sizes of vessels impose additional restrictions on transportation.

Classification of passenger ships according to various criteria

At all fleet water transport can be divided on the:

- technical(work is carried out to clean and deepen the bottom);

- auxiliary(services transport and technical vessels);

- trade(designed to transport goods and passengers).

By operational function ships that carry passengers are divided into:

- passenger ships;

- cargo-passenger ships.

A ship is considered a passenger ship, having premises for the carriage of more than 12 passengers. On passenger ships, the surface volume of the hull is occupied mainly by passenger spaces.

A cargo-passenger vessel is considered to be designed for the simultaneous transportation of passengers and cargo. They have most of The surface volume of the hull is occupied by cargo spaces.

Compared with cargo ships, passenger ones have more life-saving equipment, enhanced fire protection and are designed in such a way that they remain afloat if any two adjacent compartments are flooded.

By sailing area passenger ships are divided:

- Ocean Passenger ships are the largest and have great autonomy. Ocean swimming is considered between ports located in different seas at a distance of over 1000 miles, at a distance from the coast of more than 200 miles, as well as navigation in the northern seas.

- Marine Passenger ships are smaller than ocean-going ships. The cruising range is relatively short due to limited fuel reserves. Such swimming is considered sea , in which ships move away from the coast at a distance of 50-200 miles, making voyages between ports located 250-1000 miles apart. Sea vessels transport passengers, usually between ports of one or more adjacent seas.

Passenger ships coastal navigation. Such swimming is considered coastal , in which ships move 20-50 miles from the coast, transitions between ports range from 50 to 250 miles. Vessels are usually smaller than sea-going vessels, designed to sail close to the coast between ports located a short distance from each other. Coastal vessels must have seaworthiness that allows them to sail in stormy weather. They are widely used in resort areas and in areas of large port cities for transporting passengers to places of work and recreation. IN last years In coastal navigation, hydrofoils and hovercraft are beginning to be widely used.

Vessels raid voyage can be removed from the coast over relatively short distances and are intended for short-term transportation of passengers (for example, hydrofoil pleasure boats).

According to seaworthiness by classification societies Passenger ships, like cargo ships, are divided into:

- vessels of unlimited navigation area(built taking into account the requirements of international conventions for the protection of lives at sea);

- vessels of limited navigation area(they are subject only to the laws and regulations of the authorities of the country along the coast of which the ship sails).

In addition, for passenger ships, in accordance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, the limitation of the navigation area is determined by the term "short international flight". Such a voyage means a voyage during which the ship travels no more than 200 miles from a port of refuge, and the voyage itself does not exceed 600 miles, counting from the last port of call of the country in which the voyage began to the final port of destination.

Depending on the mode of travel passenger ships are divided:

- displacement vessels,

- hydrofoil vessels (HFV),

- hovercraft (hovercraft),

- planing ships.

By type of transport activity passenger ships are divided:

Courts line navigation are called passenger ships that regularly transport passengers on established routes and according to announced schedules. Most of them are cargo-passenger and can be used both for purely passenger transportation and combined with the transportation of associated cargo.

Vessels cruising are purely passenger vessels and their cargo spaces are used only for the carriage of personal luggage of passengers. These ships have a particularly developed system of public passenger accommodations. Considering that cruises usually take place in areas with a favorable climate, special attention is paid to creating conditions for passengers to relax on deck. As a rule, most modern cruise ships are single-class. This simplifies the maintenance system and reduces costs.

Vessels line cruise sailing- these are liner ships used alternately in linear and cruise navigation (in the spring-winter period on regular lines, and in the autumn-winter period - for cruise voyages). During their construction, it is planned to increase the volume of premises for passengers' rest and the possibility of transferring the vessel to one class. A distinctive feature of such ships is their double passenger capacity: one - larger - for operation on a regular line with the division of passenger premises into two or three classes, and the other - for cruise flights - approximately 1.5-2 times smaller, giving passengers the right to use all passenger facilities. premises. When using liner ships on cruises, their passenger capacity is usually reduced (by about 20-30%).

- Passenger ferries.Passenger ferries are specialized vessels designed for the simultaneous transportation of passengers, as well as loaded and empty vehicles, including railway rolling stock. They are cargo-passenger ships, on which, on the one hand, all the necessary comfortable conditions are created that meet the requirements of a passenger ship, on the other hand, technological schemes for performing cargo operations characteristic of ro-ro ships are used.

Ferries operate mainly on sea crossings. For short-term voyages, passenger cabins on ferries are usually not available. However, if the journey lasts more than 12 hours (or more than 2-3 hours at night), the cabins are equipped with airplane-type seats. On ferries with a voyage duration of more than a day, there are always passenger cabins. Some of the cabins are specially allocated for car drivers.

Depending on the type of transported vehicles ferries are divided into:

- car-passenger ferries;

- train ferries.

Auto passenger ferries serve as transport arteries and are used to transport passengers. They have a number of design features:

ü large capacity;

ü high freeboard;

ü a superstructure extended almost along the entire length of the vessel;

ü their length to width ratio (L/B) is less than that of passenger ships of the same displacement (i.e. ferries are wider);

ü a developed system for rapid heeling and trim of the vessel to ensure the installation of exit ramps at the required angle of inclination and capable of maintaining the roll and trim of the vessel within specified limits, both during loading (unloading) of the vessel and during navigation.

Depending on the type of technological scheme for performing cargo operations and design features of entry devices Auto ferries are usually divided into:

- bilateral, have a device for loading and unloading cars (entrances) in the bow and stern. This allows cargo operations to be carried out according to a flow pattern (entry through one end, exit through the other) without maneuvering on deck and allows flights to be made without turning around at the final points, moving forward alternately with the bow and stern.

- unilateral, have entry only at one of the ends of the vessel: bow or stern.

- with side entrances, cargo operations are carried out through the ports located in the middle part of the vessel.

- universal, have side entrances and ramps at the ends (usually in the stern). Cargo operations on them can be carried out according to a flow process scheme.

One-way and universal ferries with stern entries have the best seaworthiness. They are usually used on lines with high leverage.

Rail ferries work on crossings that connect the final railway stations, located on various shores of straits or even sea areas. Loading and unloading of wagons is usually carried out through a special shore ramp connecting the shore access roads with the drop-down stern of the vessel.

Depending on the nature of the combination physiological and emotional components of comfort Passenger ships can be divided into:

- luxury vessels(cruise ships of unlimited navigation area);

- ships of average comfort(line cruise ships, coastal cruise ships and passenger car ferries);

- ships of moderate comfort(special purpose vessels and passenger ferries of strait navigation).

This division is to a certain extent arbitrary, but within each group the main types of passenger ships can be provided.

Depending on the level of comfort of the ships, for which the “five-star scale” adopted for the classification of coastal hotels is used, passenger ships are divided into:

1-2 stars- ships that operate on passenger transport lines,

3-4 stars- cruise ships that are intended for the so-called. “educational cruises” - which are based on frequent port calls and shore excursion services,

5 stars– ships, as a rule, are intended for passengers to relax on board the ship and shore excursion service is not essential for this category of ships.

In this scale, the number of stars increases in accordance with the increase in the level of structural and service comfort of the vessel.

Transportation of passengers is regulated by the Fundamentals of Civil Legislation, Civil Codes of States, as well as the Merchant Shipping Code of Ukraine and General rules transportation of goods, passengers and luggage. These documents mainly determine the legal status of the parties.

The main requirement for sea passenger transportation is safety. In accordance with the Convention, rules for the construction, equipment and inspection of passenger ships have been developed. Only vessels that meet the requirements of these rules are allowed to carry passengers:

ü passengers can be transported in rooms with a height of at least 1.9 m;

ü for each passenger there must be at least 2.6 volumes of rooms and 1.1 decks;

ü each passenger must have a sleeping place.

Such ships, in addition to general registration documents, are issued special ones: Passenger Certificate and Passenger Ship Safety Certificate.

Passenger certificate issued to all ships carrying more than 12 passengers. The certificate is a document certifying that the ship meets all the requirements for passenger ships in terms of unsinkability, fire protection, life-saving equipment, and has the necessary seaworthiness for passenger transportation. The certificate is issued for a period of 1 year (provided that during this time the validity of the certificate of seaworthiness of the vessel remains valid). It indicates the total number of passengers allowed to be carried on a given vessel, and the number of places: sleeping, sitting and on deck. It establishes under what conditions the carriage of passengers on deck is permissible.

Passenger Ship Safety Certificate issued to passenger ships on overseas voyages. It is a document confirming that the ship meets all the requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea 1974 and has been surveyed in accordance with the provisions of this Convention. The certificate indicates :

ü cargo waterlines, divisions into compartments;

ü life-saving equipment vessels and their capacity;

ü radio equipment of the ship and the procedure for maintaining radio watches.

In order to check their condition, passenger ships are subjected to periodic surveys by the Register :

- before start of operation vessels;

- next- once every 4 years per Register class;

- annual- to renew the relevant certificates;

- additional(extraordinary) - as needed.

Long gone are the days when ocean transport was the only mode of transport that made it possible to transport goods and passengers between countries and continents separated by oceans. However, in the near future the role sea ​​vessels may become indispensable again.

New types of engines will make it possible to reach speeds approaching those of airliners, while providing passengers with comfort and safety.

Based on today's designs of designers, sea passenger ships of the future will be implemented in high-speed cargo-passenger ferries, as well as real floating cities that will accommodate more than 6,000 passengers on board. Sea travelers on such super liners can use the services of supermarkets, ice skating rinks and even water parks with sandy beaches.

Sailing yachts will remain very popular in the future among sports enthusiasts and active rest. Unlike sea passenger ships of the future, the new generation will be equipped with more advanced sail and navigation systems controlled by a computer. As a result, these small sailing ships will become more maneuverable and safe.

magnetohydrodynamic engines

After 2030, so-called magnetohydrodynamic engines based on an MHD generator may be widely used in shipbuilding. The generator circuit includes superconductors cooled by liquid helium. A marine engine generates propulsion through the magnetohydrodynamic effect, applying a magnetic field to an electrically conductive fluid. The working fluid for the ship's MHD generator is sea water.

In the harbor Japanese city Kobe is located " 1 ", built in the early 1990s by the company " Mitsubishi Heavy Industries" This vessel is equipped with a magnetohydrodynamic engine. In June 1992, the ship " Yamato 1"has successfully conducted sea trials, however, the complexity and high cost of the design are currently hindering the development of this technology.

This is interesting because it does not require much space, does not contain moving parts and is almost silent. This reliable engine, which works well at high speeds, will make it possible to create ultra-fast sea ​​passenger ships for transporting passengers.

ekranoplan vessels

After 2020, speeds on sea and ocean routes will increase significantly due to the widespread use of hovercraft. These sea vessels will look more like airplanes than traditional ships. The lifting force generated under the huge wings will allow you to soar at a low altitude above the surface of the water and reach a speed unthinkable for today's sea liners - 450 kilometers per hour! At the same time, hovercraft will consume much less fuel than today's ships. Designed ships of this type will be able to transport a sufficient amount of payload and about 1000 passengers across the ocean.

The SOLAS Convention (1974 edition) provides for the division of passenger ships around the world into six main types, depending on technical features and the tasks that the ship is capable of performing.

• Cruise ships

This category of passenger ships includes large passenger ships with large displacement and carrying capacity, high speed characteristics and an increased level of safety, which transport passengers in certain areas. international routes with visits to pre-planned open ports for tourism purposes. Cruise ships are giant hotels on the water with big amount cabins for passengers and developed ship infrastructure, numerous crew and service personnel, creating high level safety and living comfort. The cruise does not involve loading and unloading of associated cargo and third-party passengers, and the maneuverability of cruise ships in port waters remains a problem - to enter ports they often need the help of shunting tugs BV and BM, as well as pusher tugs BTO.

• Ocean and sea liners

This type of passenger ship, previously actively transporting a large number of passengers by regular routes, today is almost morally obsolete - other types of transport (aviation) offer the fastest possible transportation times, so most scheduled airliners have gradually been repurposed as cruise liners. However, in terms of safety, living comfort and capabilities, this type of passenger ship can still be considered unrivaled.

• Long-distance river vessels

Vessels of this type are still popular in big rivers, have a relatively large tonnage and are capable of transporting up to 1000 people in one flight. However, the global market for the services of these ships is gradually shrinking, and most of them are being modernized as cruise ships-hotels with luxury cabins, offering a wide range of entertainment and recreation on the water.

• Cruise ferries

A specific type of cruise and passenger water transport, widely used on international sea ​​lines average duration. Its peculiarity is that the ferry combines the functions of a cruise ship and can simultaneously transport a certain number of passengers, vehicles and luggage along passing routes from port to port. Cruise ferries are spacious, comfortable and safe, but their speed and maneuverability are somewhat lower than those of ocean cruise ships.

• Motor ships

Today this is the most numerous type of self-propelled passenger vessels, which is capable of transporting passengers on international, domestic sea and river lines, on local lines along lakes and water utilities. Motor ships have replaced steamships, use an internal combustion engine running on diesel fuel, have a high cruising speed and a shallow draft, and therefore can be used as a regular or cruise transport (depending on the equipment and on-board equipment). Turbo ships are considered one of the fastest types today.

• Yachts

IN currently Only relatively large representatives of this family of small vessels can be classified as passenger ships; sports yachts cannot be classified as such. Passenger yachts powered by motor or sail are today actively used in short sea or river cruises, can cover fairly long distances, and due to their compact dimensions and high maneuverability, they have virtually no problems entering any port.

The material was prepared based on information provided by the “Ship Search” service, using which you can find a ship for a vacation or event. Renting a ship from the owner is a sure way to save time, money and resources.