With the development of maritime technology, the types of modern ships are more and more rich, there are a variety of classification methods, such as according to the hull material, there are wooden ships, steel ships, cement ships and so on; According to the navigation area, there are ocean ships, ocean ships, coastal ships and inland/lake boats; According to the power plant, there are internal combustion engine ship, electric ship and nuclear ship; According to the propeller, there are propeller ships, flat rotating propeller ships and sail aided ships; According to the mode of navigation, there are self-navigating ships and non-self-navigating ships; According to the state of navigation, there are drainage and non-drainage type ships.

In the working practice of seafarers, the ship registration certificate, the statutory certificate and the classification certificate must determine the ship type in order to apply different registration requirements and inspection requirements. However, many people lack in-depth research on the understanding of the ship type, and often cannot accurately classify the ship type. On the basis of referring to the official information of the International Maritime Organization, well-known classification societies and flag states, this paper has sorted out and summarized various ship types, and now introduces ship types one by one for reference: