Hundreds of different types of cargo are moved by ship and therefore, a number of types of ship have been designed to carry the cargoes. Some are designed to carry containers filled with all sorts of cargo – bales of wool, drums of chemicals, boxes of car parts, cartons of canned food, and more. Other ships are designed to carry liquids, or minerals or passengers. Some ships catch fish, while others are involved in searching for oil below the seabed, while others help bigger ships in or out of harbours. This section shows you the major types of ship and will give you an idea of how they operate.