Caspian ExplorerTrading

The Caspian Explorer is Saud Kruger's dedicated deep-space flagship — a large hull built for exploration, not freight. As a trader it lends the role only its enormous internal volume: fourteen optional internals stuffed with cargo racks make a ~336 t hold behind a full shield (~434 t stripped), more than any medium hauler and the Anaconda, on a hull with no rank or permit gate.

Its real weaknesses are cost and reach, not teeth. The airframe mounts 1 Large + 6 Medium weapon hardpoints (plus six utility slots), so unlike most dedicated freighters a Caspian can fit a deterrent gun and end an interdiction instead of only running from it. But the 950 t mass and a size-8 FSD yield just ~22 LY laden, short legs for routed trade. And at ~189M Cr it is one of the most expensive ships in the game, hauling roughly 40% of a Type-9 Heavy that costs a tenth as much. It hauls well; it is never the rational hauler.

Three things shape the Caspian as a hauler — two strengths and one hard limit:

• Fourteen optional internals. The trading asset — ~434 t of cargo racks stripped, ~336 t once you keep a shield, cell bank and reinforcement. More than any medium and the Anaconda.
• Guns most freighters can't carry. 1 Large + 6 Medium hardpoints (plus six utility slots) — a hauler can fit a large multi-cannon and shoot an interdictor off its tail, not only run. Leave the mediums empty and cargo stays the priority.
• Heavy on a size-8 drive. 950 t laden on a class-8 FSD reaches only ~22 LY with cargo aboard — short hops that make long, high-value routes slow.

A capacity-heavy converted explorer with a rare 1 Large + 6 Medium hardpoint layout — it can mount a real deterrent gun where most freighters can't — held to 66 by a punishing ~189M Cr price, large-pad-only access and a short laden jump range against dedicated haulers.

The 66/100 headline is a verdict against the trading role's priority-ordered factors. Each factor carries a weight (its share of 100); this hull earns part of each based on how it performs against the whole field. The points sum to the rating.

Every table rates ships for trading specifically, split by landing-pad class. The Max cargo column is maximum cargo tonnage behind a shield; the rating is the same 1–100 suitability verdict used across the site.

Same class — large trading ships

10 large-pad trading hulls carry a rating, led by Panther Clipper Mk II (98). Every same-pad rival lands where this one does — the direct field to shop.

Other classes — the medium haulers

The medium-pad trading field (9 rated), led by Type-8 Transporter (76) — cheaper hulls and tighter pads. They undercut this hull on the numbers, but sit a pad class away.

Other classes — the small-pad haulers

The small-pad trading field (5 rated), led by Cobra Mk IV (52) — cheaper hulls and tighter pads. They undercut this hull on the numbers, but sit a pad class away.

At ~189M Cr the Caspian is one of the most expensive ships in the game, though it carries no rank or permit gate. A full trade fit — shield, boosters, cell bank and racks — pushes the all-in figure past 230M Cr.

As a freight investment that is indefensible: a Type-9 Heavy hauls nearly double the cargo for ~72M Cr, and a medium Type-8 works outposts the Caspian can't reach for ~35M Cr. The only case for trading a Caspian is that you already bought one to explore, and want it earning between expeditions.

A defensible bulk-hauler fit that keeps a bi-weave shield, a four-booster stack and a shield cell bank, mounts one large deterrent gun on the hull's Large hardpoint, then fills every remaining slot with cargo. The Caspian is a large hull with 1 Large + 6 Medium hardpoints, so a hauler can carry a real gun and still keep the hold near-full. Initial is cheapest buy-only with a shield from day one; A-rated is the trade baseline; Engineered maximises laden range and protected cargo.

Buy the hull and fit a shield first — lose the shield and you lose the hold; the deterrent gun waits for the A-rated pass. The stock Lightweight Alloy hull is free, so no bulkhead spend here. A class-6 shield generator and a single shield booster cover the buy-only defence.

Everything else goes in E-rated and cheap: the class-8 FSD, power plant, thrusters, life support, power distributor and sensors at base grade, with a class-7 fuel tank.

Fit two big cargo racks to start earning immediately — the rest of the racks, the cell bank and reinforcement all wait for the A-rated pass.

A-rating priority for a defensible bulk hauler:

• 1Shield → 6C bi-weave — The shield is the whole defence; a fast-regen bi-weave survives a hit and lets you run. ~9M Cr
• 2FSD → 8A — A-rate the class-8 drive for the best laden range a 950 t hull can manage. ~25M Cr
• 3Thrusters & distributor → A — Boost and engine capacitor to break an interdiction and high-wake clear. ~20M Cr
• 4Four shield boosters + cell bank — Stack the shield and add a 5A cell bank for burst healing when an escape goes wrong. ~6M Cr
• 5Large multi-cannon on the Large hardpoint — One deterrent gun turns an interdiction from a chase into a short fight; a gimballed large multi-cannon tracks without fighter-pilot aim. Leave the six mediums empty so cargo stays king. ~2M Cr
• 6Fill with cargo racks — Every remaining slot becomes cargo, from the class-7 rack down to the size-1s. ~15M Cr
• 7Chaff + point defence — The last two utilities go to countermeasures that help you shake and outlast an interdictor. low cost

The trade engineering pattern: Felicity Farseer carries the FSD's Increased Range, Lei Cheung and Didi Vatermann harden the shield, and the drives, plant and distributor spread across the usual engineers. Pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application.

Approximate progression across the three states (figures are representative, not exact rolls):

Engineered, the Caspian carries ~336 t behind a ~1,100+ MJ bi-weave and a cell bank while jumping ~22 LY laden — a defensible hold that survives interdiction by tanking the first hit, then either shooting the interdictor off with its large multi-cannon or high-waking out. It stays slow and large-pad-bound; that's the price of using an explorer as a freighter. Range never becomes a strength on a 950 t hull.

• Shield first, always — the bi-weave and a high-wake escape are the survival backbone, with a large multi-cannon on the Large hardpoint to punish an interdictor that won't break off.
• Mind the large pad — no outposts; plan routes around orbital stations, planetary ports or a fleet carrier.
• Expect short legs — ~22 LY laden means more jumps per loop than a lighter hauler.
• It's a side job, not a purchase — a Type-9 or Type-8 hauls better for a fraction of the price.