A Look At Tonnage

Just as supply and demand dictates businesses all over the world, the international freight shipping industry also follows this rule as well. In shipping, the amount of cargo space on the ship is the commodity at hand. When speaking about the amount of space on an ocean freight ship, the term known as tonnage is generally used. This refers to the total capacity of the freight that is allowed on the ship, including above and below the deck of the ship.
If you speak to your freight agent, and tonnage comes up, keep in mind that there are different types of tonnage usually regarded on the ship. For example, deadweight tonnage usually means the volume room on the space for cargo, crew and the equipment. After all, you must account for all of this room on the ship. As far as the room on the vessel used only for the shipper containers, the term of net tonnage is used. Carriers will use net tonnage as a mathematical equation to calculate the net cargo space available on the ship. It is often measured in terms of volumetric tons of cubic feet. The International Maritime Organization adopted this term many years ago as a universal way for the shipping industry to measure tonnage.
Tonnage is also measure to determine how much empty space is still leftover. The more empty space in the long-term, then carriers might have to cover their losses by raising container shipping rates. That is why tonnage is so important in shipping.