Vessel class reference | Pole Star APIs

Size and capability classes within a vessel type. Referenced by the Port Analytics endpoints, where breaking traffic down by class is usually more useful than by type alone: a port that handles thirty Handysize bulkers has a different profile from one handling thirty Capesizes.

Each class sits under a vessel type. Filter by type for everything in the family, or by class to isolate a size band.

Vessel type	Classes
Bulk Carrier	Bulk carrier · VLOC · Capesize · Panamax · Supramax · Handysize
Bulk/Oil Carrier	Bulk/Oil carrier · Large OBO · Medium OBO · Small OBO
Chemical Tanker	Chemical Tanker · Large Chemical Tanker · Medium Range (MR) Chemical Tanker · Handysize Chemical Tanker
Container (FC)	ULCS · New Panamax · Post-Panamax · Panamax · Feedermax · Feeder
Dry Cargo Barge	Large Cargo Barge · Medium Cargo Barge · Small Cargo Barge
General Cargo	Large General Cargo · Medium General Cargo · Small General Cargo
Liquified Gas Carrier (LNG)	VLGC/Q-Max · Large Gas Carrier · Medium Gas Carrier · Small Gas Carrier
Oil Tanker	ULCC · VLCC · Suezmax · Aframax · Medium Range (MR) · Handysize
Other Tanker	Large Specialized Tanker · Medium Specialized Tanker · Small Specialized Tanker
Specialised Carrier	Large Specialized Carrier · Medium Specialized Carrier · Small Specialized Carrier
Tank Barge	Large Tank Barge · Medium Tank Barge · Small Tank Barge

The same name can mean different things

Panamax appears under both Bulk Carrier and Container (FC), and Handysize under both Bulk Carrier and Oil Tanker. The class name alone is ambiguous, so pair it with the vessel type when you filter or when you store results.

Reading the class names

Several classes are named after the waterway or terminal that constrains them, which is why they cluster at particular dimensions instead of round numbers.

Name	Constraint it refers to
Panamax	The original Panama Canal locks
New Panamax	The expanded Panama Canal locks
Post-Panamax	Too large for the original locks
Suezmax	The maximum draught of the Suez Canal
ULCC, VLCC	Ultra and very large crude carriers, unconstrained by canal transit
ULCS	Ultra large container ship
VLOC	Very large ore carrier
VLGC / Q-Max	Very large gas carrier, and the Qatari LNG maximum
OBO	Ore, bulk and oil, a combination carrier

Vessel Types

The full type list and its categories.

Vessel Statuses

Lifecycle status values for Vessel Search.

Vessel Classes

Reading the class names#

Related#

Reading the class names

Related