Merchant Freighter

The Merchant Freighter, also known as the Merf, is the most efficient trading vessel in the fictional TradeWars 2002 universe. It is as fast as a Scout Marauder but carries more holds, fighters, and shields. However, it has much lower combat odds (0.8, compared to 2.0), making it vulnerable to attack.

The Merchant Freighter is inexpensive and a favorite choice of new players, since the Merchant Cruiser can be immediately traded in for it at a profit. Its expendability makes it useful for mothing quasar cannons. The Merf is also frequently used to add holds to the Colonial Transport. To do this, a player outfits the Merf with full holds and allows his teammate in a Colonial Transport to destroy it, thus seizing the holds. This is cheaper than having the Colonial Transport buy holds directly from a port.