The general cargo ship is generally confined to smaller ships. The cargo, as the name implies, is of many different kinds and varieties. They can range from canned food, sawn timber, steel bars, grain sacks, manufactured consumer goods packed in cardboard boxes, to liquid cargo like latex and vegetable oils. Containers can also be loaded and secured on deck.
The general cargo ship has their own cargo loading gear. This may be in the form of cranes or winches-derrick-boom. Cargo loading is comparatively slow and labor intensive. Stevedores have to physically secure the lifting hooks, nets, wire slings, and sort the cargo. Cargo can be loaded from barges, or from the wharf.
Ships using derrick have steel cables running all around the cargo gear. During unloading, by using a system of winches and pulleys, the cargo is lifted up, moved horizontally, swung out over the sides of the ship and then lowered down. Sometimes, loose cargoes fall off, the nets and are damaged.
In this type of ship, it is quite common to see the ship leaning to one side at one moment, and then leaning to another side the next. The ship may also lean permanently to one side. Because of the variety of cargo, and the use of stevedores, this type of ship tends to be quite messy and dirty. In some ports, the stevedores even bring their families to do their cooking while they work overnight on the cargo.
For the seaman working on such a ship, it is quite good life, if he can ignore the mess all around. Normally the ship's stay in port will be quite long. This means more leisure time on shore. When cargo is damaged, it becomes finders-keepers.