Freighters are used for moving materials between colonies. While they are not the only ships able to carry cargo, they are the only ones with both good capacity and speed. Their ship design tells you how much they can load.

If a fleet with cargo capacity is at a colony you own, you can use the Cargo tab on the Fleet Command interface to transfer materials to and from your fleet.

Cargo fleets can also trade with trade outposts. If you are at the position of an outpost, you will a button in fleet command leading to the trade interface.

Capital ship fleets can extend their range with freighters carrying uranium for refueling.

See also: Cargo Route