RoRo & PROJECT CARGO TRANSPORT

Roll-on Roll-off (RORO) ships are ferries designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle, such as a self-propelled modular transporter. For cargo that is not self-propelled, the cargo is placed on handling equipment with wheels on the terminal to roll the cargo on and off the vessel. The cargo then remains on the handling equipment for the entire sea voyage. Inside a roro vessel it works like a parking house, with ramps connecting the decks.

The cargo is rolled onboard to the appropriate deck, depending on the cargo’s weight, height and length, and safely secured with lashings to the vessel’s deck.  The vessel decks have different strength and heights, enabling a roro vessel to carry a mix of cargo. The ro-ro ship is different from lolo (lift-on lift-off) ship that uses a crane to load the cargo. The vehicles in the ship are loaded and unloaded by means of built-in ramps. Normally these ramps are made towards the stern (backside) of the ship. In some ships, they are also found on the bow side (front) as well as the sides. The vessel can be of both military and civilian types.

ADVANTAGES OF A RO-RO SHIP

A RO-RO ship offers a number of advantages over traditional ships. Some of the advantages are as follows:

• For the shipper, the advantage is speed. Since cars and lorries can drive straight on to the ship at one port and then drive off at the other port within a few minutes of the ship docking, it saves a lot of time of the shipper.
• It can also integrate well with other transport
• development, such as containers. The use of Customs-sealed units has enabled frontiers to be crossed with the minimum of delay. Therefore, it increases the speed and efficiency of the shipper.
• The ship has also proved extremely popular with holidaymakers and private car owners. It has significantly contributed to the growth of tourism. A person can take his car from one country to another by the sea with the help of a Ro-Ro vessel.