Even though in the technological sense this class of ship is a descendent of the railway ferry, which was first introduced a century ago, the roll-on/roll-off ship in its present form first came into being in the 1960s.
Nangona ngokwemfundo yobugcisa eli qela leenqanawa lizalwa zizikhitshane zeziporo, ezaqala ukuvezwa kwinkulungwane yeminyaka eyadlulayo, iinqanawa eziqhutywa ekuqaleni kohambo ngenqanawa ukuya apho luphela khona njengoku zikhona ziqale ukusetyenziswa kwiminyaka yee1960.