Passenger ships are specially used to carry passengers and their baggage and mail transport ships; and to carry passengers as the main, and a certain amount of goods transport ships are called passenger and cargo ships. Passenger ships must have good navigational performance, and can provide passengers with comfortable living and living conditions. Such as large international passenger ships with theaters, gardens, cafes, libraries, hospitals, hairdressing salons, department stores and banks, etc., but also for travelers to use the swimming pools, ballparks, gymnasiums, playgrounds, etc. for sports activities.
Therefore, the passenger ship generally have a larger deck area and cabin area, its length than a share of the same tonnage of cargo ships for the long, huge superstructure, more deck layers, a share of about 8 ~ 9 layers, up to a dozen layers. In order to ensure passenger safety, passenger ships should have good smoothness, anti-submergence, and the hull structure must be set up double bottom, but also should be equipped with a sufficient number of firefighting, communications, life-saving equipment; passenger ships - generally have a higher speed and a larger power reserve; in order to improve the maneuverability of the ship, the passenger ships are usually used to dual-propeller propulsion, so that when one of the propeller failure, the other propeller can still ensure that the ship continues to operate. One of the propellers fails, the other propeller can still ensure that the ship continues to sail.
1. Marine passenger ships
Marine passenger ships mainly include ocean-going passenger ships, offshore passenger ships and coastal passenger ships in several forms. This type of ship is generally large tonnage, high speed, well-equipped. Before the rise of air transport, international mail is mainly transported by such ships, it is also known as mail ships. Ocean-going passenger ship tonnage is generally in the 2 ~ 30,000 tons, the largest up to 70,000 tons (all weight tons); higher speed, about 29 knots or so, up to 36 knots. The tonnage of offshore passenger ships and coastal passenger ships is about 10,000 tons, and the speed is 18~20 knots.
2. Tourist ships
Tourist ships emerged in the 1960s, for tourists to travel, excursions. Its ship type is similar to the ocean passenger ship, but the tonnage is smaller. The ship is well-equipped to provide comprehensive services such as convalescence, entertainment and leisure for travelers.
3. Inland River Passenger Ship
Inland River Passenger Ship refers to the operation of the passenger ships on the rivers and lakes. Their passenger capacity is smaller, their speed is lower, and their equipment is simpler than that of ocean passenger ships.
4. Vehicle passenger ferry
Vehicle passenger ferry is in the 1960s after the rise of the ship type. In addition to carrying passengers, but also to carry a certain number of passengers at the same time with their own cars. This kind of passenger ship amidships or the transom of the ship to set up the springboard, for travelers to bring their own small passenger cars into the ship's garage.
5. Small high-speed passenger ships
Hydrofoil. It refers to the hull is equipped with hydrofoils, sailing by the hydrofoils generated by the lift to support all or part of the hull off the water surface and high-speed navigation of the ship. Currently, the speed of hydrofoils can be up to just ~ ω knots, displacement of about 100 ~ 300 tons, with a maximum of 300 passenger seats.
Hovercraft. The use of high-pressure air in the bottom of the ship and the water between the formation of air cushion, so that part or all of the hull cushion up to achieve high-speed navigation of the ship. When working, with a high-power blower will air pressure into the ship under the sheltered space, by the bottom of the ship around the air sealing device to limit its escape and the formation of air cushion, lifting the hull of the ship so that the ship high-speed navigation. The disadvantage is that the wave resistance is poor, in the wind and waves sailing stall larger. At present, the air cushion ship speed of about 60 ~ 100 knots, the maximum can reach 130 knots, about 100 ~ 200 passenger seats.