Editing Merchant ship (section)

{{Short description|Civilian boat or ship that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire}}
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[[File:Wenceslas Hollar - A Flute (State 2).jpg|thumb|right|Historical merchant trading ship: a Dutch [[fluyt]] cargo vessel from the late 17th century]]

A '''merchant ship''', '''merchant vessel''', '''trading vessel''', or '''merchantman''' is a [[watercraft]] that transports [[cargo]] or carries [[passenger]]s for hire. This is in contrast to [[Boating|pleasure craft]], which are used for personal recreation, and [[naval ship]]s, which are used for military purposes.

They come in a myriad of sizes and shapes, from {{Convert|20|ft|m|0|spell=in|adj=on|order=flip}} inflatable [[dive boat]]s in Hawaii, to 5,000-passenger [[Riverboat casino|casino vessel]]s on the Mississippi River, to [[tugboat]]s plying [[New York Harbor]], to {{Convert|1,000|ft|m|adj=on|order=flip}} oil tankers and [[container ship]]s at major ports, to passenger-carrying [[submarine]]s in the [[Caribbean]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.access-board.gov/pvaac/commrept/report-summary.htm|title=Summary of the Report from the Passenger Vessel Access Advisory Committee|access-date=24 April 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414185603/http://www.access-board.gov/pvaac/commrept/report-summary.htm|archive-date=14 April 2012}}</ref>

Many merchant ships operate under a "[[flags of convenience|flag of convenience]]" from a country other than the home of the vessel's owners, such as [[Transport in Liberia|Liberia]] and [[Transport in Panama|Panama]], which have more favorable maritime laws than other countries.

The [[Greek Merchant Marine|Greek merchant marine]] is the largest in the world. Today, the Greek fleet accounts for some 16 per cent of the world's [[tonnage]]; this makes it currently the largest single international merchant fleet in the world, albeit not the largest in history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/rmt2007_en.pdf|title=Review of Maritime Transport 2007, Chapter 2, Structure and ownership of the world fleet, p. 45|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528095011/http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/rmt2007_en.pdf|archive-date=28 May 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During wars, merchant ships may be used as auxiliaries to the [[navy|navies]] of their respective countries, and are called upon to deliver [[military]] personnel and [[materiel]].