How ships are classified: a reference guide to IMO, EU, and Industry frameworks

Every regulator, classification society, broker, and data provider has its own ship-type taxonomy: the same vessel can be a Ro-pax ship to EU MRV, a Cruise Passenger Ship under IMO MARPOL Annex VI, and simply a Passenger ship in a Clarksons fleet report. None of the labels is wrong; they are the working vocabulary of different communities. This blog provides guidance by harmonizing them into the ‘Sustainable Ships framework’: 20 categories, 72 types, and 52 sizes.