Bulk carrier

In this image the bulk carrier Captain Henry Jackman is deploying her unloading boom.

A bulk carrier is a kind of cargo ship, designed to carry granular or powdered cargo, in large holds. Cargoes carried by bulk carriers include coal, metal ores, sand, gravel, salt, sugar, sawdust, and various kinds of grains and flours.

Some bulk carriers are built with an internal conveyor belt, that runs under the ship's holds, and boom that can be pointed to port and starboard, for unloading her cargo to shore, under her own power. The bulk cargo is loaded or the inboard end of the boom, where another conveyor belt delivers it to shore.

Some bulk carriers have masts, that mount their own cranes, which can be equipped with buckets, so they can empty their holds under their own power.

The remaining bulk carriers can only be unloaded in ports where there are shore-side cranes to unload them.