Ro-Ro ships include car ferries, specialist vehicle carriers and general cargo vessels having Ro-Ro capabilities. They are expensive to build (a 15 000 dwt size costs twice the price of a conventional ship of the same size) and there is a considerable amount of wasted space, but their productivity is very high and they are extremely flexible, ie virtually anything can be rolled on – containers, heavy loads, large objects. They do not require special dockside loading facilities.

Design features.

• The Ro-Ro has a ramp, usually down aft, which is lowered onto the quay during loading/discharging.
• Inside the hull, the decks are connected by fixed ramps.
• The holds themselves are very large and interconnected.
• Except for the lifting gear to raise and lower the ramp, the ship does not carry or need any other lifting facilities.
• Cargo which does not have its own wheels is loaded and moved with the help of fork-lift trucks.
• Because of the internal ramps connecting the decks, watertight integrity is a problem for the
  Ro-Ro.

Ro-Ro vessel Polaris Leader.