Ro-Ro

A Ro-Ro is a type of cargo ship specialized in transporting wheeled cargo such as automobiles and other vehicles that are driven on and off the ship using their own wheels. Ro-Ro is the abbreviation for “Roll on/Roll off”, which means to drive on and off the ship.

This type of ship allows vehicles such as cars, trucks, semi-trailers, trailers, and wagons to enter and exit, “rolling” by their own means or pulled by other vehicles. For this, ramps are used astern (rear of the ship), midship (more or less in the middle of the ship), and more rarely, from the bow (front of the ship).

There are several types of Ro-Ro ships:

“Pure Car Carrier”;
“Pure Car and Truck Carrier” (Exclusive Truck Car Freighter);
“ConRo” (an acronym for Container + Roll, which means that in addition to loading cars and trucks, the ship can also transport containers); and
“RoPax” (a model that allows passengers to be transported in their cars, each one in specific places on the vessel until the destination is reached).

Ro-Ro ships, originally developed to transport military vehicles, can also be used to transport cargo that is too large or too heavy for shipping in conventional containers. Loads can be made up of reactors, turbines, transformers, generators, cranes, platforms, complete plants, wind blades, and large equipment. The vehicles are attached to the ship with several nylon straps capable of supporting up to 5 tons. Cars are parked next to each other (with a clearance of 30 cm on the sides and 10 cm at the rear and front). This prevents them from touching, even when the ship is in rough seas.

The inside of ​​the Ro-Ro vessel is adaptable and has adjustable floors that permit different configurations, including variable heights. This facilitates the transport of all types of vehicles, from small cars to tractors, agricultural machines, and even trains.

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