ShipCalculators.com

Deadweight tonnage

C1. Commercial shipping, chartering, economics and finance

Definition

DWT, total weight a vessel can carry.

DWT, the total weight a ship can carry when loaded to her summer load line, measured in tonnes. It is the sum of cargo, bunkers, fresh water, stores, crew, and effects, and equals the loaded displacement minus the lightship weight. Deadweight is the commercial size measure for tankers and bulk carriers because it states earning capacity directly; the part available for revenue cargo after bunkers and stores is the deadweight cargo capacity.