Landing Craft
A Landing Craft is a flat-bottomed vessel fitted with a bow ramp that can run onto a beach or unprepared shore to load and discharge cargo, vehicles, plant and personnel directly, without any quay or port infrastructure. Cargo is driven or rolled on and off over the ramp, roll-on/roll-off style.
Originally a military design, landing craft are now widely used for commercial and offshore logistics: supplying remote islands and coastal sites, carrying construction equipment and materials, servicing offshore and marine-construction projects, and delivering vehicles and bulk goods where there is no jetty. Their shallow draft and beaching ability make them ideal for the last mile to shore in places conventional vessels cannot reach. Operators run them as part of a harbour-craft and workboat fleet, managing charters, jobs and maintenance.
Where there is no port — a remote island, an offshore construction site, an unprepared shore — the landing craft is how cargo and vehicles get to land. Its bow ramp and shallow draft open up logistics that would otherwise be impossible, which is why they are indispensable in island supply and offshore projects. Managing their charters and utilisation is a distinct part of marine-services operations.
How does a landing craft load and discharge?
It beaches itself and lowers a bow ramp, so vehicles and cargo drive or roll directly on and off — no quay required.
What are landing craft used for commercially?
Supplying remote islands and coastal sites, carrying construction plant and materials, and servicing offshore and marine-construction projects.