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Tonnage is a measure of the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship. The term derives from the
taxation paid on tuns or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers
to a calculation of the volume or cargo volume of a ship. Tonnage should not be confused with
displacement, which refers to the actual weight of the vessel. Tonnage is commonly used to
assess fees on commercial shipping.

Contents
1 Tonnage measurements
2 Weight measurements
3 Non-maritime usage of the term tonnage
4 Origins
5 See also
6 Notes
7 References

Tonnage measurements [edit]

Tonnage measurements are governed by an IMO Convention (International Convention on

Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969 (London-Rules)), which applies to all ships built after
July 1982.

Gross tonnage (GT) is a function of the volume of all of a ship's enclosed spaces (from keel to
funnel) measured to the outside of the hull framing. The numerical value for a ship's GT is
always smaller than the numerical values for both its gross register tonnage. Gross tonnage is

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‫فارسی‬ therefore a kind of capacity-derived index that is used to rank a ship for purposes of
Français determining manning, safety, and other statutory requirements and is expressed simply as GT,
한국어
which is a unitless entity, even though it derives from the cubic feet of volumetric capacity.
Italiano
‫עברית‬ Net tonnage (NT) is based on a calculation of the volume of all cargo spaces of the ship. It
indicates a vessel's earning space and is a function of the moulded volume of all cargo spaces
Bahasa Melayu of the ship.
Nederlands
A commonly defined measurement system is important, since a ship's registration fee, harbour
日本語
Norsk dues, safety and manning rules, and the like may be based on its gross tonnage (GT) or net
Plattdüütsch tonnage (NT).
Polski
Gross register tonnage (GRT) represents the total internal volume of a vessel, where one
Português
register ton is equal to a volume of 100 cubic feet (2.83168 m3); a volume that, if filled with
Русский
Slovenščina fresh water, would weigh around 2,800 kg or 2.8 tonnes. The definition (and calculation) of the
Suomi internal volume is complex; for instance, a ship's hold may be assessed for bulk grain
Svenska (accounting for all the air space in the hold) or for bales (omitting the spaces into which bulk,
中文 but not baled cargo, would spill). Gross register tonnage was replaced by gross tonnage in
Edit links
1994 under the Tonnage Measurement convention of 1969, and is no longer a widely used
term in the industry.[1][2]

Net register tonnage (NRT) is the volume of cargo the vessel can carry—that is, the gross
register tonnage less the volume of spaces that do not hold cargo (e.g., engine compartment,
helm station, and crew spaces, again with differences depending on which port or country does
the calculations). It represents the volume of the ship available for transporting freight or
passengers. It was replaced by net tonnage in 1994, under the Tonnage Measurement
convention of 1969.

The Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) is based on net tonnage,

modified for Panama Canal purposes. PC/UMS is based on a mathematical formula to
calculate a vessel's total volume; one PC/UMS net ton is equivalent to 100 cubic feet of
capacity.[3]

Suez Canal Net Tonnage (SCNT) is derived with a number of modifications from the former net
register tonnage of the Moorsom System and was established by the International Commission
of Constantinople in its Protocol of 18 December 1873. It is still in use, as amended by the
Rules of Navigation of the Suez Canal Authority, and is registered in the Suez Canal Tonnage
Certificate.

Thames measurement tonnage is another volumetric system, generally used for small vessels
such as yachts; it uses a formula based on the vessel's length and beam.

Weight measurements [edit]

While not tonnage in the proper sense, the following methods of ship measurement are often
incorrectly referred to as such:

Lightship or lightweight measures the actual weight of the ship with no fuel, passengers,
cargo, water, and the like on board.

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Deadweight tonnage (often abbreviated as DWT, for deadweight tonnes) is the displacement
at any loaded condition minus the lightship weight. It includes the crew, passengers, cargo,
fuel, water, and stores. Like displacement, it is often expressed in long tons or in metric tons.

Metric tonnes per centimetre immersion (usually abbreviated to TPC or TPCMI) is the
number of metric tonnes (1,000 kg) that need to be loaded on the ship for the salt water draft
(draught) to increase by one centimetre. The TPCMI is used to calculate the draft of the vessel
with a given deadweight tonnage of cargo loaded. For a typical Panamax bulk carrier with a
TPCMI of 80, the ship will sink (i.e., its draft will increase) by one centimetre for every 80
tonnes of cargo loaded.

Imperial tons per inch immersion (usually abbreviated to TPI) is the number of imperial long
tons (2,240 lb) that need to be loaded on a vessel for the draft to increase by one inch. Old
imperial TPI measurements are still occasionally used within the United States and the Panama
Canal. As no ship has been measured by a classification society since the 1950s using imperial
measures, modern TPI figures are therefore a conversion from the original metric
measurements and should not be relied upon to be accurate.

Non-maritime usage of the term tonnage [edit]

Tonnage can refer to the quantity of a mineral or the mineral ore extracted from a mine. It may
refer to the production of any commodity that is normally expressed in tons or tonnes. The term
can also apply to the total weight drawn by a railway locomotive, or the total weight of freight
passing over a railway line or road.

The tonnage may be expressed in short tons (2,000 lb), metric tons or tonnes (1,000 kg), or in
long tons (2,240 lb). Often this distinction is not of any importance, however sometimes it is
critical to define the exact units in which the tonnage is expressed.

Origins [edit]

Historically, tonnage was the tax on tuns (casks) of wine that held 954 litres (252 gallons) of
wine and weighed 1016 kilograms (2,240 pounds). This suggests that the unit of weight
measurement, the long ton (1,016 kg or 2,240 lb), and tonnage share the same etymology. The
confusion between weight-based terms (deadweight and displacement) stems from this
common source and the eventual decision to assess dues based on a ship's deadweight rather
than counting the tuns of wine. In 1720 the Builder's Old Measurement Rule was adopted to
estimate deadweight from the length of keel and maximum breadth or beam of a ship. This
overly simplistic system was replaced by the Moorsom System in 1854 and calculated internal
volume, not weight. This system evolved into the current set of internationally accepted rules
and regulations.

When steamships came into being, they could carry less cargo, size for size, than could sailing
ships. In addition to spaces taken up by boilers and steam engines, steamships carried extra
fresh water for the boilers and coal for the engines. Thus, to move the same volume of cargo as
a sailing ship, a steamship would be considerably larger than a sailing ship.

Harbour dues are based on tonnage. In order to prevent steamships operating at a

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disadvantage, various tonnage calculations were established to minimise the disadvantage

presented by the extra space requirements of steamships. Rather than charging by length,
displacement, or the like, charges were calculated based on the viable cargo space. As
commercial cargo sailing ships are now largely extinct, gross tonnage is becoming the
universal method of calculating ships' dues, and is also a more straightforward and transparent
method of assessment.

See also [edit]

Builder's Old Measurement

Nautical portal
Displacement (fluid)
Displacement (ship)
Ton
Short ton
Long ton
Metric tonne
List of world's largest ships by gross tonnage

Notes [edit]

1. ^ CWP Handbook of Fishery Statistical Standards . Retrieved May 10, 2006.

2. ^ International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969 , International Maritime
Organisation. Retrieved May 10, 2006.
3. ^ Panama Canal Tolls , from the Panama Canal Authority. Retrieved May 10, 2006.

References [edit]

The Oxford Companion To Ships & The Sea, by I. C. B. Dear and Peter Kemp. Oxford
University Press, 1979. ISBN 0-19-860616-8
Ship Design and Construction, Volume II; Thomas Lamb, Editor. Society of Naval Architects
and Marine Engineers, 2004. ISBN 99909-0-620-3

v · t · e
Ship measurements
Length Length overall · Length between perpendiculars · Length at the waterline

Breadth Beam

Depth Draft · Moulded depth · Freeboard · Waterline (Plimsoll Line)

Worldwide Tonnage · Gross tonnage · Compensated gross tonnage · Net tonnage

Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System ·

Volume Specialized

Thames measurement tonnage

Archaic Gross register tonnage · Net register tonnage

Current Deadweight tonnage · Twenty-foot equivalent unit (Intermodal containers)

Capacity
Archaic Builder's Old Measurement (sailing vessels) · Moorsom System (steamships)

Displacement · Loaded displacement · Standard displacement · Light displacement ·

Weight

Normal displacement

Stability Inclining test · List · Angle of loll · Metacentric height (GM)

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