, a formerly capesize
bulk carrier approaches the
Suez Canal Bridge.
Cape Elise of 174,124 DWT at Inchgreen quay,
Greenock, Scotland, for repairs in March 2014 after being struck by a massive wave. At 289 metres long, it was the largest ship to dock at Greenock in 20 years. Ships in this class are
bulk carriers, usually transporting coal,
ore and other commodity raw materials. The term
capesize is not applied to
tankers. The average size of a capesize bulker is around 156,000 DWT, although larger ships (normally dedicated to ore transportation) have been built, up to 400,000 DWT. The large dimensions and deep draughts of such vessels mean that only the largest deep-water terminals can accommodate them. Subcategories of capesize vessels include
very large ore carriers (VLOC) and
very large bulk carriers (VLBC) of above 200,000 DWT. These vessels are mainly designed to carry
iron ore. == See also ==