Both the dimension of the cargo hold and the deadweight of inland waterway transport vessels provide them with a wide spectrum of utilisation possibilities within this market segment. Basically, any dry cargo carrier is suitable for transporting oversized cargo. However, when it comes to shipping extremely heavy goods, only vessels tailored to individual job requirements, such as ships with reinforced bottom and ballast tanks, are used.

Specially designed RoRo-vessels are also utilised for shipping heavy cargo. Oversized and heavy cargo loaded in flat-bed trailers are rolled onto the ship together with the vehicles. These are not unloaded until the target port has been reached.
Similarly, barges designed for stern loading (for example, barges of type 18000) provide easy access via a loading ramp.