When it comes to shipping services, the options are liner and tramp shipping services to service various types of different needs which are many. As there are many types of cargo to be transported in different forms and containers, there are also different vessels or ships for it, be it General Cargo, Bulk and Break Cargo, Container ships, etc. However, in this blog, on types of shipping services and cover liner shipping services, as it the most commonly used.
Liner shipping services are sought after as it runs on a schedule and with containerized shipping, its convenient as it has a fixed port rotation, fixed frequency, that is, whether it is weekly, fortnightly or monthly with published dates and also the days and ports of call which makes schedules for freight forwarders easier. However, it should be noted that liner shipping isn’t restricted to just containers, but can be applied to vehicular shipping as well with RoRo shipping and also, Bulk and Break Bulk Cargo too.
While liner services may change up their rotation or schedule on occasion, such as omit a stop due to various reasons, (due to delay at a previous port or weather), usually, liner services are clearly defined. Further, in events that liner shipping will skip some which are called blank sailings due to a variety of reasons.
Tramp shipping services on the other hand, does not stick to a fixed schedule, or route and can be schedule on short notice. However, delivery times are often longer but can be relied on to be available at any given time due to the availability at any given time, especially at in any market economy. Cargo can be loaded and off-loaded at any port, and used for bulk cargo as well as general cargo too.