What is Merchant vessel?
[[File:CMA CGM Christophe Colomb 01.jpg |thumb|right|250px|{{Center|A [[container ship]] is one kind of merchant vessel}}]] A '''merchant vessel''' or '''trading vessel''' is a boat or [[ship]] that [[transport]]s [[cargo]] or carries [[passenger]]s for hire. This does not include [[pleasure craft]] that do not carry passengers for [[wikt:hire|hire]]. [[Warship]]s are also not considered to be merchant ships. == Types == They come in large number of sizes and shapes. They range from twenty-foot [[Inflatable boat|inflatable dive boat]]s in [[Hawaii]], to 5,000 passenger [[Riverboat casino|casino vessel]]s on the [[Mississippi River]]. They include [[tugboats]] working in [[New York Harbor]], to 1,000 foot [[oil tanker]]s and [[container ship]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.access-board.gov/pvaac/commrept/report-summary.htm|title=Summary of the Report from the Passenger Vessel Access Advisory Committee|access-date=January 1, 2017|archive-date=July 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130720100352/http://access-board.gov/pvaac/commrept/report-summary.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some of the more common types are: * [[Bulk carrier]]s - These carry items such as [[ore]], [[grain]], [[cement]] and other kinds of [[bulk cargo]].<ref name=mvMC>{{cite web |url=http://maritime-connector.com/wiki/merchant-vessels/ |title=Merchant Vessels |publisher=Maritime-Connector.com |access-date=January 2, 2017 |archive-date=December 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227112733/http://maritime-connector.com/wiki/merchant-vessels/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> This type makes up 40% of the world's merchant fleets.<ref name=mvMC/> * [[Container ship]]s - They are [[ocean]]-going ships that carry goods in large [[container]]s.<ref name=mvMC/> They did not come into use until the 1960s, but are now the standard form of shipping [[manufactured goods]] worldwide.<ref name=issffMKC>{{cite web |url=http://www.imo.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/ShipsAndShippingFactsAndFigures/Documents/International%20Shipping%20-%20Fac