RORO...Not talking about a kid's boat song

RORO (roll-on/roll-off) ships are ocean-going vessels that are specifically designed to transport cars, trucks, railroad cars and other wheeled vehicles from one port to another. The name comes from the fact that these vehicles can be driven (or rolled) on and off the transport ship via ramps instead of lifted with cranes. This type of loading is definitely easier on the vehicles being transported, and it’s a quicker process as well.

This wheeled cargo is not measured by weight, as most other cargo is measured. Instead, it is measured in lanes in meters (LIMs). LIMs are calculated by multiplying the cargo’s length in meters by the number of decks on the ship and then by the number of lanes in width that the ship can handle.

The idea for commercial RORO ships came from landing craft used during World War II to load and unload military vehicles—very quickly—at sea shores. Think amphibious assault…Normandy…D-Day. Over the years after the war, commercial international transport of vehicles via ocean-going vessels grew into a big business. Much of the transport has been into the United States from Japan—all those fuel efficient subcompacts. But recent issues with the U.S. economy have caused a decrease in the number of car imports from Japan and other countries, resulting in a downsizing of the worldwide RORO fleet. Many of these vessels are older ships that have been retired.

Of course, American vehicles are transported via RORO as well. And, no doubt, as the economy turns around, the need for RORO ships will return to previous levels. Newer, more efficient vessels with ever greater cargo capacity will replace the “retirees”. RORO…it’s the only way to move wheeled vehicles overseas.