Ship type design is the foundation of wharf design，and it is the basis of wharf berthing grade，structure design，and water scale design.The mileage of waterways of class Ⅵ and below in Shanghai accounts for about 75% of the total waterway mileage.There are big differences among the current navigable ships，representative ship types of waterways，and designed ship types of wharfs.The contradiction between the design grade of wharfs and navigable ship types caused by mismatching intensifies increasingly，which brings a lot of inconvenience to the planning，design，construction，and operation management of inland wharfs.By sorting out and analyzing the key issues，this study investigates the similarities and differences among the current navigable ship types，designed ship types of wharfs，and representative ship types of waterways.Finally，through theoretical calculation and result review for demonstration，the study proposes the determination method of designed ship type of inland wharfs in Shanghai.