For the band, see Merchant Ships. "Merchantman" redirects here. For the tugboat, see ST Merchantman. For the cargo aircraft variant, see Vickers Vanguard. Historical merchant trading ship: a Dutch fluyt cargo vessel from the late 17th century A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to
![Merchant ship - Wikipedia](https://cdn-ak-scissors.b.st-hatena.com/image/square/bbf3374004d4cd25f273b16bde959aa112c75f6a/height=288;version=1;width=512/https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2Fc%2Fc7%2FWenceslas_Hollar_-_A_Flute_%2528State_2%2529.jpg%2F1200px-Wenceslas_Hollar_-_A_Flute_%2528State_2%2529.jpg)