Dry bulk carriers move iron ore, coal, bauxite, alumina, grain, fertilisers, cement clinker, and other unpackaged dry commodities. They are categorised by deadweight tonnage (DWT) into a small number of standard size classes that have stable names across the industry.
Handysize
Handysize bulkers carry 10,000–40,000 DWT and are the workhorses of regional trades and small-port markets. They are typically gear-equipped (have on-board cranes) and can therefore call at ports lacking shore handling equipment. Cargoes range across grain, sugar, fertilisers, steel products, and minor minerals.
Handymax and Supramax
Handymax (40,000–50,000 DWT) and Supramax (50,000–60,000 DWT) bulkers are larger handy-class vessels with similar versatility. Modern Supramaxes are typically gear-equipped and can lift heavy parcels. They dominate medium-range bulk trades, including grain from the US Gulf to Europe and steel products inter-regionally.
Panamax and Kamsarmax
Panamax bulkers (about 65,000–80,000 DWT) are sized to the historical Panama Canal locks. Kamsarmax is a slightly longer variant (about 82,000 DWT) named for the port of Kamsar in Guinea, which exports bauxite. Both are gearless and are used principally for coal, iron ore, and grain on routes where they fit canal and port constraints.
Capesize
Capesize bulkers (about 100,000–200,000 DWT) are too large for the Panama Canal and historically had to round Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope, hence the name. They dominate the iron ore and coal trades from Australia and Brazil to East Asia. The cargoes are loaded by belt conveyors at dedicated export terminals and discharged by grab cranes or continuous unloaders.
VLOC and Newcastlemax
Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOCs) carry 200,000–400,000 DWT and operate almost exclusively on the iron ore trade between Brazil and China. Newcastlemax is sized to the largest berth at Newcastle, Australia (about 185,000 DWT). At the upper end Vale’s Valemax class reaches 400,000 DWT.
Reading bulker traffic in the directory
PortWatch tags every dry bulk vessel as “Bulk Carrier” in the type field. To distinguish size classes, look at the deadweight tonnage on each vessel’s profile. A port that lists primarily 30,000–60,000 DWT vessels is a typical regional bulk port; a port that lists primarily 150,000–200,000 DWT vessels is a Capesize loader or discharger, almost always tied to either iron ore or coal trade.