Merchant Vessel

Capital Ship Combatants			Escort Combatants			Military Smallcraft				Support Ships
Battleship	Cruiser	Carrier	Destroyer	Escort	Frigate	System Defense Boat	Fighter	Assault Transport	Smallcraft	Auxiliaries

Commercial Mercantile Ships			Non-Mercantile Commercial Ships		Non-Commercial Ships			Civilian Smallcraft	Highports & Satellites
Merchant	Liner	Transport	Commercial Industrial	Commercial Ships	General	Research	Private	Auxiliary	Orbital Complexes	Satellites

A Merchant is an individual or ship engaged primarily in trade and commerce.

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Please see the following AAB articles for more information:

• Interstellar Commerce
  • Merchant
  • Galactic Stock Exchange
  • Interstellar Currency
  • Interstellar Banking
  • Resource Units
  • UWP
• Business Entities
  • Cartels
  • Corporation
  • Megacorporation
  • Merchant Line
  • Merchant Service
  • Trade Organizations
• Ship type codes and Ship Hull Designations

Description

Merchant ships range in size from small 200 ton Far and Free Trader class ships to large liners and cargo vessels of up to 10,000 tons displacement. The crews of these ships are also referred to as Merchants.

Ship Doctrine

Merchant Ship Types include the following:

Armored Merchant (MA)	Any starship used for interstellar trade, and commerce that has been set up with weapon systems for defense.
Merchant Liner (MD)	Merchant Liners are general-purpose design starships, intended to carry both passengers and freight. They are larger than the Far Traders intended for cargoes over 200 tons and over a dozen passengers
Subsidized Merchant (MG)	In subsidized commerce, a local government (or a group of several worlds) agree to subsidize the construction of commercial starships in return for their servicing established routes. Ideally, the route will be profitable, and the subsidy can soon be ended. But, even without profits, the route provides a channel for interstellar trade, helping to provide markets for resources and finished goods as well as, enabling people from different world to share their cultures. Typically, governments expect subsidized merchants to try to establish routes to make at least marginal profits to diminish the government expense burden. Although individual ports of call may not always provide sales at high margins, at least initially, the ultimate goal is to make the ship self-sufficient. Unfortunately all subsidized merchants are not all profitable and these ships may be recipients of government subsidies for years. Governments have to factor in the benefits derived from the established routes against the costs of maintaining the subsidy. This often becomes the deciding factor with somewhat isolated worlds with limited markets.
Far Trader (ML)	A Far Trader is a small starship commonly used for interstellar trade and commerce that is capable of jump 2. Hundreds of variants exist. The typical size equals 200 tons.
Free Trader (ML)	A Free Trader is a small starship commonly used for interstellar trade and commerce that is capable of jump 1. Hundreds of variants exist. The typical size equals 200 tons.
Frontier Trader (MS)	A heavily armed transport normally doing business with fringe systems.
Merchant Cruiser	A generic term applied to vessels specifically assigned to independent missions, the prime objective of which is market discovery and acquisition, either in isolation or in completion with other merchant operators. Design parameters for such vessels usually include a high level of weaponry and auxiliary boats in proportion to their cargo capacity and all possible back-up systems, along with high structural integrity. Also called an Armed Merchantman, as merchant cruisers are unusally armed. A starship merchant primarily intended for independent cruising in undeveloped trade areas where high survivability is also a design factor.

Representative Classes

74 Representative Merchant (M) Classes

Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Aekguthang class Assault Cutter MN 12 20 0 3 Vargr Extents No Assault Lander class Marine Gig MN 15 20 0 1 Third Imperium Bastien class Subsidized Liner MK 12 600 3 1 Third Imperium Yes Besouro Valente class Personnel Transport M 11 12,000 2 1 Terran Confederation M-0AS12 Blakeway class First Response Vessel MM 100 0 4 Third Imperium Yes MM-AL40 Brilliance class Long Liner M 14 800 4 2 Third Imperium Yes Brilliant Gem class Cruise Liner MV 14 36,117 5 1 Krax Confederation No Camel class Medical Launch M 15 20 0 1 Third Imperium No M-2S10 Celestial Star class Luxury Liner M 15 2,000 6 1 Third Imperium Codori Prime class Luxury Liner M 11 800 2 2 Distant Fringe M-HB22 Coeus class Assault Pinnace MN 13 20 0 5 Third Imperium No A-2S60 Condor class Racing Yacht MY 15 100 6 3 Third Imperium Yes Condor class Subsidized Liner M 13 400 3 1 Third Imperium Coyotl class Bulk Hauler M 13 2,000 2 3 Infinity League A-VU32 Deliverance class Lifeboat MM 9 50 0 2 Distant Fringe MM-5A20 Elysium class Passenger Barge MK 10 1,000 0 3 Distant Fringe MK-KA30 Eshpadir class Orbital Installation MW 15 500 0 0 Third Imperium No Excellence class Fast Shuttle M 7 90 0 3 Distant Fringe M-9A30 Flyer class Diplomatic Courier MC 13 100 3 5 Darrian Confederation Fortune class Merchant M 12 600 3 1 Third Imperium No Gaia class Luxury Liner M 11 10,000 2 3 Distant Fringe Gallant class Assault Shuttle MN 11 80 0 5 Distant Fringe MN-8A50 Giiphicih class Liner M 15 1,200 2 1 Hive Federation Yes M-MU12 Glimmerdrift class Subsidized Liner M 12 600 3 1 Third Imperium No MK-FU13 Gold of Zurrian class Long Liner M 15 1,000 4 1 Third Imperium M-KS14 Governor class Yacht MY 13 900 4 2 Council of Heads Great Eastern class Troop Transport MN 15 50 0 3 Third Imperium Yes MN-5S30 Horizon class Passenger Liner M 11 6,000 2 3 Distant Fringe Iigicih class Embassy Ship MK 14 1,200 2 1 Hive Federation Yes Independence of the Stars class Interstellar Liner M 15 154,407 4 4 Third Imperium M-0KP44 Interstellar Lifesaver class Lifeboat MM 10 10 0 2 Terran Confederation Yes K'Bam class Assault Lander M 8 8 0 1 Akras Kahk'rik'kreng class Yacht MK 12 6,000 3 1 Two Thousand Worlds Yes Kihrvak Platoon Drop Ship class Marine Cutter M 15 50 0 3 Third Imperium King Richard class Interstellar Liner M 11 5,000 2 1 Third Imperium No KSbA Model A-23 class Lifeboat MM 8 10 0 2 Third Imperium No Lady Charlotte class Yacht MY 15 200 1 1 Third Imperium No Lady of Shallott class Yacht MY 9 200 1 1 Third Imperium No Longevity class Lifeboat M 15 100 1 1 Third Imperium No Lord Baltimore class Yacht MY 15 200 4 4 Third Imperium Yes Lord Somerset class Subsidized Liner M 12 600 3 1 Third Imperium No Mal'Gnar class Assault Skiff M 12 20 0 1 Mal'Gnar Primarchic Maranatha class Yacht MY 12 200 1 1 Third Imperium No MY-BB11 Marrel Veckor class Lifeboat M 9 20 0 2 Distant Fringe M-2S20 Mender-of-Herds class Hospital Ship MM 14 500 3 5 Two Thousand Worlds MM-ES53 Model 292 class Life Boat M 15 100 0 1 Third Imperium Nebula class Starliner M 14 9,000 5 1 Third Imperium Olympian class Cruise Liner M 11 10,000 2 4 Distant Fringe Olyora class Medevac Pinnace MM 14 60 0 6 Aslan Hireate No MM-6L60 Orowani Deep Space class Light Liner M 11 6,000 2 2 Distant Fringe M-06P22 Parthenolab class Bio-Construction Vessel MM 13 400 2 2 Solomani Confederation GCB-DU22 Prancing Poni class Charter Yacht MY 12 200 2 1 Third Imperium Yes Pride of Vland class Long Liner M 13 1,000 4 1 Third Imperium No M-KS14 Rake II class Yacht MY 13 400 4 2 Third Imperium Raptor class Combat Lander MN 13 20 0 3 Third Imperium Yes Reliant class Lifeboat MM 11 20 0 1 Third Imperium No Relief class Hospital Ship MM 13 3,300 4 4 Third Imperium Royal class Interstellar Liner M 11 5,000 2 1 Third Imperium Yes Sapphire Moon class Moduleship M 14 13,363 1 1 Krax Confederation No Shuvalivashtu class Luxury Liner M 15 5,000 4 1 Third Imperium SK-3 class Lifeboat MM 15 20 0 1 Third Imperium No Slicer class Assault Shuttle MN 14 50 0 6 Third Imperium Songbird class Ship's Boat M 9 40 0 4 Distant Fringe M-4A40 Star Butler class Yacht MY 12 300 2 3 Rule of Man YK-CS32 Star class Merchant Liner M 15 1,000 2 1 Third Imperium No Starblade class Executive Yacht MY 11 200 2 4 Distant Fringe MY-BS24 Stellar class Liner M 14 600 3 1 Third Imperium TC02 Grave Endeavor class Dropship MN 11 20 0 3 Trooles Confederation TC04 Valkyrie class Dropship MN 11 40 0 3 Trooles Confederation Type M class Subsidized Liner MK 13 600 3 1 Third Imperium Yes MK-FU13 Type RT class Longliner M 13 1,000 4 1 Third Imperium Yes M-KS14 Xeekr'kir! class Merchant M 11 6,000 2 1 Two Thousand Worlds Yes Yawl class Troop Carrier MN 12 400 1 1 Old Worlds Ziiguysna class Pinnance MN 15 40 0 6 Hive Federation Yes

References and contributors

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Marc Miller. Fighting Ships of the Shattered Imperium (Game Designers Workshop, 1990), .
• Citation Missing - Traveller The New Era
• Subsidized Merchant Deck Plans Seeker Gaming Systems: Subsidized Merchant
• Type A2 Far Trader Deck Plans Seeker Gaming Systems: Empress Marava
• Garu class Type A2 Far Trader The Flaming Eye
• Garu class Type A2 Far Trader MegaTraveller Journal 4
• Soho class Light Freighter Traveller Chronicle 13
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science