What types of passenger ships are there?

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There are many types of passenger ships. Those that traverse vast oceans, plying international routes between continents, are known as ocean liners. Such vessels typically displace more than ten thousand tons and are built to withstand the fierce waves and harsh weather conditions of the open sea. For example, China’s “Yaohua” and “Guanghua” once enjoyed a golden age of passenger service on the North Atlantic route between Europe and America. On this route, ocean liners could have displacements ranging from 30,000 to 80,000 tons, with speeds exceeding 30 knots. The world‑famous luxury liner “Normandie” was one such vessel. Primarily designed to carry passengers, these ships also transported small quantities of valuable cargo and time‑sensitive mail along fixed scheduled routes.

What types of passenger ships are there?

There are many types of passenger ships. Those that traverse vast oceans, plying international routes between continents, are known as ocean liners. Such vessels typically displace more than ten thousand tons and are built to withstand the fierce storms and towering waves of the open sea. For example, China’s “Yaohua” and “Guanghua” once enjoyed a golden age of passenger service on the North Atlantic route between Europe and America. On this route, ocean liners could have displacements ranging from 30,000 to 80,000 tons, with speeds exceeding 30 knots. The world‑famous luxury liner “Normandie” was one such vessel. Ships primarily designed to carry passengers, along with small quantities of valuable cargo and time‑sensitive mail, and operating on fixed schedules along regular routes, are referred to as “mail steamers.”

Those passenger vessels that ply between coastal ports are referred to as coastal or medium‑range passenger ships. Examples include passenger‑cargo liners operating on routes such as Shanghai–Dalian, Dalian–Qingdao, and Guangzhou–Shantou. These ships typically have a displacement of around 7,500 tons and a service speed of 18 knots. Each voyage can carry approximately 900 passengers and 2,000 tons of cargo. Since they transport both passengers and a certain amount of freight, they are classified as passenger‑cargo vessels.

Passenger vessels plying between ports along rivers and inland waterways are typically smaller in size due to constraints such as water depth. With a displacement of 3,700 tons, a service speed of approximately 15 knots, and a capacity to carry 200 passengers and 450 tons of cargo, these ships are classified as inland river passenger vessels.

Shorter‑range passenger vessels also include various local ferries and passenger‑carrying ferries. For example, there are river ferries operating between the two banks of the Yangtze River and cross‑strait ferries; some of these ferries can even carry a limited number of vehicles.

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