The specialization of roll trailer platforms as a key element in Ro-Ro ports. A study for the port of Santander

Abstract

In recent years Ro-Ro traffic has undergone major changes, the most significant being heavy loads trans-port in break bulk or static cargo, in other words, the transport of bulky and heavy loads in conventionalgeneral cargo ships has moved to Ro-Ro vessels over rolling platforms. Nowadays due to the high costand fragility of these goods they must be handled with the utmost care. In this article we deal withthe transformation suffered by this type of maritime traffic and the development in Ro-Ro vessels cargoequipment, analyzing the traffic data for such goods at Port of Santander in Spain in the last ten yearsand discussing how it has affected the increasing amount of goods in vessels' size and specialization.