Roll on roll off ships (otherwise known as RORO) are freight solutions that cater for vehicle transportation. Businesses specialising in vehicle trade can benefit from the considerable advantages it has to offer. The following article explains how RORO was devised and what benefits it can offer.

Benefits

RORO ships have onboard ramps which can be extended and retracted to accommodate a range of vehicles. Many river crossing ferries and smaller services also have ramps but RORO is usually only used to describe sea crossing ships.

As RORO uses different methods for manoeuvring goods different weight classifications also apply. When cargo is loaded using cranes and other methods the standard unit of measurement is the metric tonne. As all the cargo is vehicles the more appropriate unit of LIM (lanes in metres) is used to reduce demurrage in weighing and measuring vehicles.

The size of cargo measured as LIM is calculated by multiplying the length of the cargo by the amount of space it takes up in lanes. The size of lanes can vary between vessels but there are several commonly used standards.

History

Before the introduction of RORO all cargo was loaded and unloaded using cranes. While this method is great for many kinds of produce and goods when used for cars and vehicles it became impractical.

As the motor industry started to take off cars became much more in demand and needed to be shipped globally to dealerships. Before the introduction of RORO shipping cars was a lengthy process. To prevent any accidents from occurring, all cars needed to have their petrol tanks drained and the battery contacts disconnected. After this they then needed to be positioned individually by a crane and arranged. Following this cargo needed to be individually secured and fastened in place. Though very safety conscious this is still a very lengthy process which needed to change in order to keep up with the increasing demand for cars and vehicles.

Problems with the traditional method for shipping vehicles became apparent as the effects of World War II started to take hold. As more vehicles were required across the globe a new method of distribution was needed to meet demand. Landing craft were developed which allowed vehicles to board vessels with much less hassle allowing for speedy loading and unloading.

The first RORO ships were a success and provided a good service to the allied forces. News of the new ships spread and soon RORO ships started to be used more in society. The new vessels improved turn over and overall efficiency for many traders and ferry companies and remain in demand today.