General Cargo Ship Essays

General Cargo Ship Essays General Cargo Ship Essay General Cargo Ship Essay Defining a general cargo ship The term â€Å"general (multipurpose) cargo ships† covers many different ship designs that do not fi t into other more specialised cargo ship types. Thus, general cargo ships are not specialised for transport of only dry bulks, only containers or only heavy-lift cargoes, but they have flexibility to carry any of these cargo types. General cargo ships are the world’s most numerous ship types, excepting fishing vessels. Thus, in the year 2002 their share in the overall world merchant fleet amounted to about 37% in numbers and to about 11% in dwt. The average deadweight of the world fleet of general cargo ships is about 5600 dwt. Larger vessels, up to about 30000 dwt are intended to carry break-bulk cargo (bagged, boxed and palletised cargo) or containers, while small general cargo ships, usually below 5000 dwt are mostly found as flexible solutions for many dry-cargo types in shortsea shipping. The concern for structural safety of general cargo ships follows from the fact that during the period from 1995 to 2000 approximately 90 losses of these ships per year occurred, which in other words means one ship every 4 days, with 170 fatalities per year. Even 42% of losses of all merchant ships belong to general cargo ships and similar percentage is valid also for fatality experience. Despite these figures, general cargo ships are not considered in publicity as risky ships, probably because general cargo ship accidents are not as spectacular as for example accidents of oil tankers Erika or Prestige . There are several reasons for poor statistical records of general cargo ships. Ship ages, inappropriate maintenance, poor quality in operation of these ships and defi ciencies in design are some of the main causes of a large number of accidents. : Smaller general cargo ships are particularly vulnerable to collision and grounding accidents because of their frequent operation in inland waterways and coastal waters. The general cargo ship consists of as large a clear open cargo-carrying space as possible, together with the facilities required for loading and unloading the cargo. Access to the cargo storage areas or holds is provided by openings in the deck called hatches. Hatches are made as large as strength considerations will allow to reduce horizontal movement of cargo within the ship. Hatch covers of wood or steel, as in most modern ships, are used to close the hatch openings when the ship is at sea. The hatch covers are made watertight and lie upon coamings around the hatch which are set some distance from the upper or weather deck to reduce the risk of flooding in heavy seas. One or more separate decks are fitted in the cargo holds and are known as tween decks. Greater flexibility in loading and unloading, together with cargo segregation and improved stability, are possible using the tween deck spaces. Various combinations of derricks, winches and deck cranes are used for the Handling of cargo.

What to Do if Youre in Love With a Fictional Character

What to Do if You're in Love With a Fictional Character We love to read, and when were immersed in literature, the characters come to life for us! We know them- all their most secret and intimate details. Sometimes, we become too involved in a characters life (and situation). We know what they want, who they are, and sometimes, we may even imagine ourselves into the world of the novel. What do you do if youre in love with a fictional character? Step Back   Ask yourself: Why do I love the character? Perhaps one of the things you love the most about him/her is the fact that the character is without substance (he/she is not real, at least not in a corporeal, sit-down-and-have-a-conversation-with-you kind of way). How does the character (and the episodes in the novel that compelled you to love the character) compare with your real life experiences? Pros vs. Cons Consider the characters other qualities... For every perfect character trait, the author likely included a few undesirable personality characteristics. Make a list of the pros and cons (what you love about the character in one column, and what you dislike about the hero/heroine in the other column). At the top of the con list, you can write: _____ is not real. Hes a figment of my (and every other readers) imagination! Familiarity How many times have you read the book? Have you memorized all the characters main lines? If you have memorized all the scenes, and youve imagined yourself sitting beside your fictional love, it may be time to read other books. Get critical! Use your intense fascination with the book to conduct a full study of all works by the author, as well as an exhaustive study of the novel itself. (Beyond a simple reading and re-reading, track the characters, look at the critical reception, and learn more about the historical context of the work. Think of it as your way to get to know more about the character you love. Book vs. Movie? Ask yourself: Am I really in love with the actor who plays the character in the   film version? Im not suggesting that you suddenly become a stalker, or fall violently in unrequited love with all the actors as a  stand in for literary characters. But, its a bit easier to have a crush on an actor than it is to be in love with a character in a novel. Fan-dom vs. Real Love Sometimes its easy to confuse the feelings of real love with the enthusiasm you feel when you are an ultimate fan. That giddy-obsessive feeling that you get when you find a character that represents so many romantic qualities can be can sometimes be confused with the enigmatic (often confusing) feeling of love. Support Group or Book Club After talking with a great many readers over the years, Im convinced that there are many more of you who are in love with their favorite characters than you would imagine. Of course, part of the problem is that being in love with a character from a book is sometimes not accepted by our society. But, if you are really in love with a character, I urge you to seek out others to share your passion. Start a support group. You can even start a   book club- to share the favorite books with others who love their hero/heroine just as much as you do!   Read more about Fictional Heroes We Love... In The Secret Life of Prince Charming, Deb Caletti writes: It starts so young, and Im angry about that. The garbage were taught. About love, about whats romantic. Look at so many of the so-called romantic figures in books and movies. Do we ever stop and think how many of them would cause serious and drastic unhappiness after The End? Why are sick and dangerous personality types so often shown a passionate and tragic and something to be longed for when those are the very ones you should run for your life from? Think about it. Heathcliff. Romeo. Don Juan. Jay Gatsby. Rochester. Mr. Darcy. From the rigid control freak in The Sound of Music to all the bad boys some woman goes running to the airport to catch in the last minute of every romantic comedy. She should let him leave. Your time is so valuable  and look at these guysdepressive and moody and violent and immature and self-centered. And what about the big daddy of them all, Prince Charmi ng? What was his secret life? We dont know anything about him, other then he looks good and comes to the rescue.