GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Aug 15, 2026

Large Motor Vessel (GMS)

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Last updated: 15 August 2026

Source: Frachtportal-News «Rhein-Schifffahrt am Limit: Kaub bei nur 11 cm» (13.08.2026); Schiffsklassen der westeuropäischen Binnenschifffahrt (CEMT-Klassifikation)

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Logistics Concept

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1 min

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Definition & Explanation

Anyone moving containers on the Rhine between Rotterdam and Basel is usually talking about a large motor vessel – the standard workhorse of Western European inland navigation, known by its German abbreviation GMS. It is a self-propelled cargo vessel of roughly 110 metres in length and 11.45 metres in beam, dimensions shaped by the lock chambers of the main waterways. Depending on the permissible loading draught it carries around 2,000 to 3,000 tonnes of cargo or several hundred TEU, with container capacity depending heavily on the allowed stacking height. Smaller types such as the Europa vessel (about 80 metres) carry proportionally less, while extended 135-metre units carry more. In low water it is precisely these larger units that suffer most, losing payload disproportionately or being unable to pass critical stretches such as Kaub at all. Not to be confused with a pushed convoy, where a pusher tug moves unpowered barges.