Based on the data from 2018, vehicle carriers had the fastest average speed - 14.95 nautical miles per hour - of all the vessels in the global merchant fleet. Container ships ranked second with an average speed of 14.2 nautical miles per hour.
Average speed of vessels in the world merchant fleet in 2018, by ship type
(in nautical miles per hour)
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Statista. (October 6, 2021). Average speed of vessels in the world merchant fleet in 2018, by ship type (in nautical miles per hour) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1268217/average-speed-of-ships-by-ship-type/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Statista. "Average speed of vessels in the world merchant fleet in 2018, by ship type (in nautical miles per hour)." Chart. October 6, 2021. Statista. Accessed January 22, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1268217/average-speed-of-ships-by-ship-type/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Statista. (2021). Average speed of vessels in the world merchant fleet in 2018, by ship type (in nautical miles per hour). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: January 22, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1268217/average-speed-of-ships-by-ship-type/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Statista. "Average Speed of Vessels in The World Merchant Fleet in 2018, by Ship Type (in Nautical Miles per Hour)." Statista, Statista Inc., 6 Oct 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1268217/average-speed-of-ships-by-ship-type/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Statista, Average speed of vessels in the world merchant fleet in 2018, by ship type (in nautical miles per hour) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1268217/average-speed-of-ships-by-ship-type/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed (last visited January 22, 2025)
Average speed of vessels in the world merchant fleet in 2018, by ship type (in nautical miles per hour) [Graph], Statista, October 6, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1268217/average-speed-of-ships-by-ship-type/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
