RoRo ships are designed to carry cars, agricultural tractors, mining and road machinery, trucks, semi-trailer trucks and trailers, buses, industrial vehicles, lorries…Unlike LO-LO (lift-on/lit-off) vessels that use cranes to load/unload the cargo, these kinds of ships have a built-in ramp that allows the equipment to roll on and off the vessel:
on their own wheels for self-propelled machines.
on handling equipment equipped with wheels for the machines that are not self-propelled. Hence they remain on this equipment throughout the sea voyage. 






Compared to traditional ships, RoRo vessels offer a number of advantages, the main ones being flexibility, operational speed and overall time saving. The vehicles can be directly driven on to the ship at the port of loading and then drive off at the port of destination. Loading and unloading procedures only take few minutes. Since the vehicles disembark very quickly after the ship’s docking, they can immediately continue with their route to their destination. This operating method improves the cargo delivery time. Less cargo handling for loading and unloading at port means reduced risk of accidents and cargo damage. 

Despite commercial success, RoRo vessels are criticized, mainly on the safety point of view. This figure shows how dramatic the consequences of accidents involving RoRo are for the entire maritime industry. These are the main causes of those accidents: human errors leading to operational faults, improper cargo stowage and securing, lack of stability, failed cargo access doors.







In the upcoming years, the usage of RoRo vessels (and RoPax ships) both on domestic and international routes will significantly increase to the growth of global trade and to lower the traffic on roads, especially in Europe. This will lead to new challenges in terms of terminal designs, but also of safety, operational efficiency.