WHAT EXACTLY IS A SHIP?

Generally speaking, a large watercraft traversing through the oceans and other substantially deep waterways across the world, with the purpose of carrying goods or passengers or operating on specialized missions (like defense, research, or fishing) qualifies to be called a SHIP.

They differ from a boat, in terms of size, shape, load capacity, and tradition. Traditionally in the Age of Sail, ‘a ship’ referred to ‘a sailing vessel marked by its sail plan of minimum Three square-rigged masts and a full bowsprit.’

History of Ships & Maritime Industry

Ever since humans began to the advent in new realms hoping to build a more congenial Transport Industry, ferrying cargo through water has been the solution to it, enabling them to avoid the hazards of land. 

Historically speaking, the very first ‘ships’ were singular logs to which small cargo was attached, followed by floating them down the river for trade. With time, the logs were tied together to carry bigger and heavier cargo.

Nearly 5000 years ago, the first major trade routes were charted out along the Arabian Sea, between what we refer to as modern-day India and Pakistan.

Land travel at the time became increasingly dangerous due to bandits attacking caravans, and ingenious individuals (mariners) started to travel through the sea. Aiding their journey was an astrolabe: an instrument that predicted the position of the sun, moon, planets, and the stars – and with it, helped to decipher directions in the seemingly vast sea.

Around the same time, Romans built fleets that would cross the Mediterranean Sea in about a month. They used them to carry cheaper goods like grain and construction materials, for sea transport cost them far less than what land transport would have cost. Soon after, their trade routes were expanded by them to travel across the Indian Ocean.

The 7th – 13th centuries saw the Arab Empire developing trade routes through Asia, Africa, and Europe. The impetus for the act was the impassable rivers in the Islamic regions, which necessitated sea travel. Qaribs: their advanced vessels, saved them a humongous amount of time in transportation.

In the Age of Discovery (15th –19th centuries), advances in shipbuilding and navigation enabled Europeans to voyage across the Atlantic, opening up trade routes to Maryland&Virginia – for tobacco, and Peru&Mexico – for silver.

With goods easily trading between Asia, England, France, Denmark, Portugal, and the Americas, trade companies soared up: the most successful of which was the Dutch East India Company. (Reference:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjUKm6MBIww)

During the 19th – 20th centuries, the Suez Canal opened up, permitting shipping between Europe and Asia without going around Africa. And, the Panama Canal connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

With trade developing rapidly, it’s no wonder that wealthy traders saw constructing cruise ships to carry people across the globe, as an opportunity at the time. And, in the late 20th century, container shipping was shaped, allowing us to inherit the Shipping Industry we see today.

Differentiating Ships from Boats:

The parameters to be noted while distinguishing the two are as follows:

   1. Size:

The easiest visual difference between the two is their Size. As an old saying sums it up beautifully: ‘A ship can carry a boat, but a boat cannot carry a ship.’

   2. Areas of operation:

Ships: are vessels operated in oceanic areas and high seas. Comprising naval ships, container ships, tankers, cruise vessels, RoRo ships, and offshore vessels; they are majorly built for cargo/passenger transportation across oceans. 

Boats:  are operable in smaller or restricted water areas. Consisting of ferrying and towing vessels, sail vessels, paddle vessels, kayaks, canoes, and patrolling vessels; they are usually used for smaller purposes and mainly ply in areas near the coast.

   3. Crew:

Ships: Being huge in size, ships are operated by professionally trained navigators and engineers. And, their long journey is aided by a Captain, who operates the vessel and guides the Crew.

Boats: In this case, crew size on a boat depends on the size of the boat. It can be one or more people depending on the size and purpose of the boat.        

  4. Cargo:

Ships: are specifically built to carry either huge cargo, passengers, or boats.

Boats: Being small to mid-sized vessels, possess a much lesser cargo-carrying capacity in comparison to a ship. Also, the boat is an umbrella term enclosing numerous types of watercraft which could be used for fishing, recreation, or ferrying people.

 5. Complexity of Construction & Design:

Ships: complex structures having different types of machinery systems and design features for the protection and ship’s stability. They possess engines to move them about. (N.B. Additionally, ships could also be powered by sails or other advanced propulsion technologies.)

Boats: In contrast, are simple, possessing fewer machines and design complexities. They may be propelled by sails, a motor, or human strength.)

 6. While all high-seas vessels are referred to as ships, submersible vessels are categorically referred to as ‘ships.’

As a BONUS: Another related term is YACHT:

Yachts refer to sail or power-driven vessels, which are lighter, comparatively smaller, and often used for racing or recreational purposes. Majority of individuals: the generality of the non-yachting (or, non-sailing) population, when speaking of Yachts used for recreational purposes, have this picture in mind – an enormous craft, which initially was powered by sails and later, by steam or internal-combustion engines.

However, technically speaking, Yachts exclude boats propelled by paddles, oars, or outboard motors. Further, recreational powered crafts below the largest size are usually called Cabin cruisers.

Etymologically, the English word Yacht and its equivalent word in various European languages is derived from the Dutch usage of the word jaght, later transitioning into yacht which was added with the word schipgave to rise to the phrase “ship for chasing”.

Importance of Shipping in the transportation industry

For any business to thrive, needless to say, safe and efficient means of transportation are vital. And, in the era of urbanization, marked by the rapid growth of technology and industries, it’s of paramount importance that goods are transported in time while also ensuring that the transit is cheap, secure, and robust. Though, one could easily remark that the options are vast 

– with, airways, roadways, or railways competing; a wise choice would always be Waterways.

Maritime Shipping has a plethora of benefits that can help to grow one’s business in a safe &yet, economical way. To the uninitiated, we present a few of the many points, that might articulate the significance: 

1.       Vast network of trade routes:

With the shipping industry accounting for a whopping 90% of the world trade, it’s no wonder that it’s easily one of the biggest transportation mediums that the world sees today. As brands and companies increasingly opt for shipping as their primary means of transporting goods, it’s the most popularly used mode of transportation.

2.      Always relevant:

Since the beginning of time, ships have been used to haul goods across nations. And, the prospects only got brighter as ships got smarter and faster. [Yes, I’m personifying ships to be smarter, for they truly exist! Google and you’d know ;)]

They’ve been used since the ancient period, it’s used today at a different scale and they might be something new altogether in the future. Today, more than 55,000 cargo ships are active, ferrying cargo varying from food supplies, construction goods, raw materials, etc.

3.      Ecologically green:

Yes, relative to all other means of transportation (which includes roadways, railways, and airways), maritime shipping is the least polluting one!

And, who thought, we could’ve green transportation too!?

To conclude, if you’re looking for safe and quick means of transportation that would also be tender to your budget, well, Maritime Shipping is definitely a solution. And, these prospects are only bound to better with time.

While researching for this article, we came across a lot many Statistics, and it’d be a shame if we didn’t share them with our readers. Tossing them in, here they are:

Some Quirky byte-sized facts about Shipping Industry that will make you rethink its worth:

–        With ~20 million ships voyaging across the ocean at this very moment (yes, in the middle of the pandemic, too); queuing these ships one after another, would effortlessly stretch across half our beloved planet!

–        A typical engine of a container ship can be about 1000 times more powerful than the average family car.

–        The amount of distance traversed by these maritime vessels in a year (let’s say, a cargo ship) is huge enough to travel to the Moon and return to Earth.

–        Shipping containers have a huge capacity: enough to fit ~8443 shoeboxes!

That's all for today for this article folks. For any doubts or queries, do reach out to us (or, comment below) and, we'd be happy to help! ;)

Signing off!

Do hop over our other articles to discover more about the Shipping & Maritime Industry:

1.        Types of Ships in the World

2.      Exploring Merchant Navy