Bulk Carriers Intro & History

[piano music] [Maritime Training Services Inc.] [In case of any conflict between the requirements shown] [in the movie and the company's safety management system (SMS),] [please follow the company's SMS requirements] [Intro & History] Grains. Coal. Ore and cement. These are just some of the foundations of everything around us today. From buildings, to electricity, and even the most basic of food like bread. But to make this all possible, bulk goods need to be carried from one part of the globe to another. And when roughly 70% of the world is water, we need bulk carriers. Bulk carriers are vessels that are designed to transport loose bulk cargo without the requirement of any specific packaging. Bulkers make up anywhere from 15% to 17% of the globe's merchant fleets. They range in size from mini-bulk carriers with one hull, to enormous cape-size vessels, like the M S Ore Brasil that is able to carry up to 400,000 metric tons of dead weight. To put that in perspective, that is almost 55 Eiffel Towers packed into one ship. But what led to the creation of bulk carriers? There has been a need to transport goods across the ocean and lakes from the earliest known civilizations. In fact, there is evidence of bulk cargo shipping from 2300 BCE, where inscriptions found in Mesopotamia indicate that traders were involved in bulk shipping of timber, ivory, copper and luxury items like gold and pearls. Until recent history, sailing ships were used to transport bulk goods using methods that were time consuming and not cost-effective, two driving factors that led to today's bulk carrier. In 1852, the SS John Bowes was introduced to the world. and is considered by many to be the first bulk carrier. The new technologies of the time she embodied was the steam engine, iron hull, water ballast and screw propulsion. Bulkers and their crew also have heroic roots as they played a major role in World War Two, shipping essential goods between Allies, and contributing greatly to the war effort. After World War Two, there was high demand for bulk trade among industrialized nations that grew rapidly. This led to increasingly larger and further-specialized bulk carriers, like the ones we know today. These vessels have helped to build cities shaped nations, triumphed wars, and even alleviate starving populations. Bulkers and their crew are an essential part of the world and its economy. Without them, today's world would be unrecognizable. For instance, because of the desire to build cost-effective vessels to efficiently carry the maximum amount of cargo the price of consumer goods is so low that it makes them accessible to most consumers worldwide. These ships are so vital to the world as we know it today because they carry the most needed basic materials, such as cement that is used to build structures and buildings the world over. Coal, most notably used in electricity generation. Steel production, and cement manufacturing. Ore, that is needed to make automobiles. Ships and beams for buildings among thousands of other items. Grains, used to produce cooking oils. Fuels, cosmetics, alcohols, and most importantly food. Thousands of these crafts are at sea at any given time, carrying hundreds of millions of tons of bulk cargo to their destinations. in 2017 alone, 7,556 million metric tons of dry cargo were loaded on to these type of vessels. Bulk carriers have a stake of about 40% in the international shipping sector. Assuring them a vital position in the overall maritime sector that is growing, evolving, and becoming even more specialized each day.