In today's world, Coastal trading vessel has gained great importance and interest, generating numerous discussions and research in different areas. Since its emergence, Coastal trading vessel has significantly impacted society, the economy, culture and science, among other aspects. Over the years, Coastal trading vessel has evolved and adapted to the different needs and demands of the current context, playing a crucial role in the development and transformation of various sectors. This is why it is relevant to thoroughly analyze and understand the impact and scope of Coastal trading vessel today, as well as its future implications.
Coastal trading vessels, also known as coasters or skoots,[1] are shallow-hulled[citation needed] merchant ships used for transporting cargo along a coastline. Their shallow hulls mean that they can get through reefs where deeper-hulled seagoing ships usually cannot (26-28 feet), but as a result they are not optimized for the large waves found on the open ocean. Coasters can load and unload cargo in shallow ports. For European inland waterways, they are limited to a 33,49 m beam.[clarification needed]
During World War II there was a demand for coasters to support troops around the world.
Type N3 ship and Type C1 ship were the designations for small cargo ships built for the United States Maritime Commission before and during World War II.[2][3] Both were use for close to shore and short cargo runs.[4][5][6] The Government of the United Kingdom used Empire ships type Empire F as merchant ships for coastal shipping. British seamen called these "CHANTs", possibly because they had the same hull form as Channel Tankers (CHANT); initially all the tankers were sold to foreign owners and therefore there was no conflict in nomenclature. The USA and UK both used coastal tankers also.[7][8][9] UK used Empire coaster tankers and T1 tankers. Many coasters had some armament, such as a 5-inch (127 mm) stern gun, 3-inch (76.2 mm) bow anti-aircraft gun and Oerlikon 20 mm anti-aircraft gun. These were removed after the war.
After the war many of the ships were sold to private companies all around the world.[10][11]
Major coastal trading vessel shipyards include:[12]