Bulk Carrier Ship Models

Many collections of model ships focus on glamorous or infamous ships. Racing ships, battleships, or treasure ships are all popular collectible items. However, there is another style of ship that you may be overlooking when assembling your collection. While you may have all the upscale pieces, it is best to not forget about the workhorses of the sea. Bulk carrier ship models can complete your collection by offering not only another style of ship but also design variety that you will find pleasing.

Bulk carrier ship models represent merchant ships designed to carry all kinds of bulk cargo in an unpackaged format. The ships have also been referred to as bulk freighters or bulkers. They are a relatively recent shipping innovation. The first bulker, a British ship carrying coal, sailed less than two hundred years ago. Demand for bulk shipping was limited, and many shippers still relied on the traditional method of sacking or barreling the loose goods and then transporting them aboard. Thus, while an innovation in the movement of goods, bulkers stayed on the sidelines until after WWII.

During their fallow period prior to the boom in bulk shipping that happening after WWII, bulk freighters went through a number of design changes. Bulk carrier ship models from the earliest years had a single bottom, while ships built after 1890 featured a double hull design that is still used today. Early bulkers also used seawater as ballast instead of sandbags, and bulkers created after 1905 featured triangular ballast chambers to better accommodate this new ballast material. Ballast innovations were incredibly important to bulkers as cargo shift is a key danger to the bulkers.

Although they were originally a British shipping innovation and most early production took place there, after the wars production shifted to Asia. Over 80% of all bulk freighters are built in Asia now, with Japan being the largest producer. Thus, bulk carrier ship models of sea craft built in other areas of the world are a niche area that you could explore as a new collector.

Another way you could organize your new bulk carrier ship models is by size. Bulk freighters are classified into six major size categories, with sub-categories depending on the type of cargo carried. The major size divisions are small, handysize, handymax, panamax, capesize, and very large. Handysize ships are 10,000 – 35,000 DWT while handymax ships carry 35,000 – 55,000 DWT. The two ship sizes together represent 71% of all the bulk freighters currently in operation. Huge is an understatement when describing these ships.

The variety of sizes and styles provides a rich vein of opportunity for a collector. You can spend hours studying the different types, their construction and typical load size. The design variety is extensive, and the large size of the ships allows reproductions to capture significant detail on the hatches, rigging, and decking. The complexity of the construction will allow your bulk carrier ship models to add greater breadth and depth to your collection. Thus, if you have not considered collecting these vessels in the past, now may be the time to seriously pursue adding bulkers to your collection.