Modes of Water Transportation

MODES OF WATER TRANSPORTATION

1.FERRY

Ferry- is a boat or ship (a merchantvessel) used to carry (or ferry) primarilypassengers, and sometimes vehicles andcargo as well, across a body of water. Mostferries operate on regular, frequent, returnservices. A passenger ferry with manystops, such as in Venice, Italy, issometimes called a water bus or water taxi.

FERRY

TYPES OF FERRY

Ferry designs depend on the length ofthe route, the passenger or vehicle capacityrequired, speed requirements and thewater conditions the craft must deal with.

Double-ended- ferries have interchangeable bows andsterns, allowing them to shuttle back and forth betweentwo terminals without having to turn around. Well-knowndouble-ended ferry systems include the Staten IslandFerry, Washington State Ferries, Star Ferry, several boatson the North Carolina Ferry System, and the LakeChamplain Transportation Company.

Hydrofoils -have the advantage of higher

cruising speeds, succeeding hovercraft on someEnglish Channel routes where the ferries nowcompete against the Eurotunnel and Eurostartrains that use the Channel Tunnel. Passenger-only hydrofoils also proved a practical, fast andrelatively economical solution in the CanaryIslands but were recently replaced by fastercatamaran "high speed" ferries that can carrycars. Their replacement by the larger craft isseen by critics as a retrograde step given thatthe new vessels use much more fuel and fosterthe inappropriate use of cars[3] in islands alreadysuffering from the impact of mass tourism.

HYDROFOILS

Hovercraft were developed in the 1960s

and 1970s to carry cars. The largest was themassive SR.N4 which carried cars in its centresection with ramps at the bow and stern betweenEngland and France. The hovercraft wassuperseded by catamarans which are nearly asfast and are less affected by sea and weatherconditions. Only one service now remains, a footpassenger service between Portsmouth and theIsle of Wight run by Hovertravel.

HOVERCRAFT

Catamarans are normally associated with

high-speed ferry services. Stena Line operatesthe largest catamarans in the world, the StenaHSS class, between the United Kingdom andIreland. These waterjet-powered vessels,displacing 19,638 tonnes, are larger than mostcatamarans and can accommodate 375passenger cars and 1,500 passengers. Otherexamples of these super-sizer catamarans arefound in the Brittany Ferries fleet with theNormandie Express and the Normandie Vitesse.

CATAMARANS

Roll-on/roll-off ferries (RORO) are large,

conventional ferries named for the ease by whichvehicles can board and leave.

A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the

features of a cruise ship with a RoRo ferry.

Fast RoPax ferries are conventional

ferries with a large garage intake and a relativelylarge passenger capacity, with conventionaldiesel propulsion and propellers that sail over 25knots (46 km/h; 29 mph). Pioneering this classof ferries was Attica Group, when it introducedSuperfast I between Greece and Italy in 1995through its subsidiary company SuperfastFerries. Cabins, if existent, are much smallerthan those on cruise ships.

RoPax Ferry

Turntable ferry-This type of ferry allows

vehicles to load from the "side". The vehicle platform canbe turned. When loading, the platform is turned sidewaysto allow sideways loading of vehicles. Then the platform isturned back, in line with the vessel, and the journey acrosswater is made.

Pontoon ferries carry vehicles across rivers

and lakes and are widely used in less-developedcountries with large rivers where the cost ofbridge construction is prohibitive. One or morevehicles are carried on a pontoon with ramps ateither end for vehicles to drive on and off. Cableferries (next section) are usually pontoon ferries,but pontoon ferries on larger rivers aremotorised and able to be steered independentlylike a boat.

Pontoon Ferry

A Train ferry is a ship designed to carry

railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship isfitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has adoor at the front and/or rear to give access tothe wharves.

Foot ferries are small craft used to ferry

foot passengers, and often also cyclists, overrivers. These are either self-propelled craft orcable ferries. Such ferries are for example to befound on the lower River Schelde in Belgium andin particular the Netherlands. Regular foot ferryservice also exists in the capital of the CzechRepublic, Prague, and across the Yarra River inMelbourne, Australia at Newport. Restored,expanded ferry service in the Port of New Yorkand New Jersey uses boats for pedestrians only.

Foot Ferry

Cable or chain ferry, which is usually a

pontoon ferry (see above), where the ferry ispropelled along and steered by cables connectedto each shore. Sometimes the cable ferry ishuman powered by someone on the boat.

Reaction ferries are cable ferries that use

the perpendicular force of the current as a sourceof power. Examples of a current propelled ferryare the four Rhine ferries in Basel, Switzerland.Cable ferries may be used in fast-flowing riversacross short distances.

Air ferries

In the 1950s and 1960s, travel on an "air

ferry" was possible—aeroplanes, often ex-military,specially equipped to take a small number of carsin addition to "foot" passengers. These operatedvarious routes including between the UnitedKingdom and Continental Europe. Companiesoperating such services included Channel AirBridge, Silver City Airways, and Corsair.

Air Ferry

The term is also applied to any "ferrying" by air, andis commonly used when referring to airborne militaryoperations.

1. Boat- is a watercraft of any size designed tofloat or plane, to work or travel on water. Small boatsare typically found on inland (lakes) or in protectedcoastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboatwere designed for operation from a ship in an offshoreenvironment. In naval terms, a boat is a vessel smallenough to be carried aboard another vessel (a ship).Another less restrictive definition is a vessel that can belifted out of the water. Some definitions do not make adistinction in size, as 1000-foot bulk freighters on theGreat Lakes are called oreboats. For reasons of navaltradition, submarines are usually referred to as 'boats'rather than 'ships', regardless of their size and shape.

Boat

Boats can be categorized into three main types: Unpowered or human-powered boats. Unpowered

boats include rafts and floats meant for one-waydownstream travel. Human-powered boats includecanoes, kayaks, gondolas and boats propelled bypoles like a punt.

Sailboats, which are propelled solely by means ofsails.

Motorboats, which are propelled by mechanicalmeans, such as engines.◦ Ski boats are specialized motorboats specifically designed

to safely tow one or more water skiers. This is achieved byusing a high-horsepower, marine automobile engine, usuallypositioned in the midsection and powered through a directdrive to the propeller. A skier is pulled on a towropeattached to a tow bar located in front of the drive motor andaffixed to the bottom of the hull. Each approved towboatmust meet or exceed a preset set of standards defined bythe USA Water Ski Federation, formerly the American WaterSki Association, AWSA

2. A ship is a large buoyant watercraft. Ships aregenerally distinguished from boats based on size, shapeand cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used onlakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, suchas the transport of people or goods, fishing,entertainment, public safety, and warfare. Historically, a"ship" was a sailing vessel with at least three square-rigged masts and a full bowsprit.

Ships and boats have developed alongside humanity. Inarmed conflict and in daily life they have become anintegral part of modern commercial and militarysystems. Fishing boats are used by millions offishermen throughout the world. Military forces operatevessels for combat and to transport and support forcesashore. Commercial vessels, nearly 35,000 in number,carried 7.4 billion tons of cargo in 2007. As of 2011,there are about 104,304 ships with IMO numbers in theworld.

Ship

Types of Ships

Dry cargo ships - tramp freighters, bulkcarriers, cargo liners, container vessels,barge carriers, Ro-Ro ships, refrigeratedcargo ships, timber carriers, livestock &light vehicle carriers.

Liquid cargo ships - Oil tankers,liquefied gas carriers, chemical carriers.

Passenger vessels

Liners, cruise and Special Trade Passenger (STP) ships

Cross-channel, coastal and harbour ferries. Luxury & cruising yachts Sail training and multi-masted ships Recreational boats and craft - rowed, masted

and motorised craft Special-purpose vessels - weather and

research vessels, deep sea survey vessels, and icebreakers.

Submersibles - industrial exploration, scientific research, tourist and hydrographic survey.

Warships Surface warships - deep and shallow draft Submarines

4. A submarine is a watercraft capable ofindependent operation underwater. It differs froma submersible, which has more limited underwatercapability. The term most commonly refers to alarge, crewed, autonomous vessel. It is alsosometimes used historically or colloquially to referto remotely operated vehicles and robots, as wellas medium-sized or smaller vessels, such as themidget submarine and the wet sub. Used as anadjective in phrases such as submarine cable,"submarine" means "under the sea". The nounsubmarine evolved as a shortened form ofsubmarine boat (and is often further shortened tosub). For reasons of naval tradition, submarinesare usually referred to as "boats" rather than as"ships", regardless of their size.

SUBMARINE