A ship is a large watercraft that navigates the world's oceans and other deep enough waterways, carrying goods or passengers, or supporting special missions such as defense, research, and fishing.
Ships are generally separated from boats according to size, shape, load capacity and tradition.
In the Age of Sailing, a "ship" was a sailboat defined by a sail plan consisting of at least three square masts and a full bow.
The ships supported exploration, trade, war, migration, colonization, and science. After the 15th century, new crops from and to America via European sailors contributed significantly to world population growth.
Shipping is responsible for most of the world trade.
As of 2016, there were more than 49,000 merchant ships, with a total deadweight of about 1.8 billion tons. Of these, 28% were oil tankers, 43% were bulk carriers and 13% were container ships.
