Tramp Steamer

A tramp steamer is a steam-powered cargo ship that does not operate on a fixed, scheduled route or between fixed ports, but instead travels wherever cargo and charter contracts can be found, in contrast to a liner service operating a published, regular timetable between set ports. Common from the mid-nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century, tramp steamers carried bulk and general cargo such as coal, grain, ore and timber for whichever shipper offered a charter, giving shipowners flexibility to chase the most profitable routes and cargoes of the moment rather than committing to a fixed service. The tramp trade declined through the later twentieth century as specialized bulk carriers, tankers and container ships built for particular cargo types and often operated under longer-term contracts took over much of the trade tramp steamers had once carried.