Ro/Ro

Ro/Ro is an abbreviation for "Roll on Roll off". This refers to modern Ro/Ro transport ships, which are used to transport movable goods in the Ro/Ro process. The cargo is transported on the ship. This often involves a combination of cars, trucks and trains running on board the Ro/Ro ships, but also swap bodies and standardised loading units which are stowed on board by special tractors.

Ro/Ro ships have a navigable deck

The Ro/Ro ships have decks that can be navigated on and are often variable in height. This enables easy rolling up of the cargo and flexible use of the cargo space. The ships also have side, bow or stern hatches for loading and unloading, so that the vehicles can be driven on board via ramps. The Ro/Ro method has the advantage that the handling times are greatly reduced and the cargo handling is very gentle. However, the construction costs for Ro/Ro ships are significantly higher than for conventional transport ships. Nevertheless, the transport of goods by Ro/Ro ships plays an important role in maritime transport.

Truck traffic between Western Europe and Finland is handled by Ro/Ro vessels

For example, most of the truck traffic between Western Europe and Finland is carried out by Ro/Ro vessels. There are also numerous Ro/Ro liner services operating transatlantically or worldwide, most of which are car carriers or containerised transporters.