A merchant vessel is a ship that transports cargo or passengers. The closely related term commercial vessel is defined by theUnited States Coast Guard as any vessel (i.e. boat or ship) engaged in commercial trade or that carries passengers for hire. This would exclude pleasure craft that do not carry passengers for hire or warships.
Merchant ships names are prefixed by which kind of vessel they are:
- MV = Motor Vessel
- SS = Steam Ship
- MT = Motor Tanker or Motor Tug Boat
- MSV = Motor Stand-by Vessel
- MY = Motor Yacht
- RMS = Royal Mail Ship
- RRS = Royal Research Ship
- SV = Sailing Vessel (although these can be sub coded as type of sailing vessel)
- LPG = Gas carrier transporting liquefied petroleum gas
- LNG = Gas carrier transporting liquefied natural gas
- CS = Cable Ship or Cable layer
- RV = Research Vessel
- MFV = Motor Fishing Vessel
