LaycanDeskVessel chartering: what it is and how the desk fixes a ship.
Vessel chartering is hiring a ship from her owner or operator to carry your cargo: for one voyage at a freight per tonne, for a trip or a period at a hire per day, or for a series of cargoes under one contract. Through this desk a charterer sends a stem or a vessel requirement; we settle the points owners ask first, screen the counterparties, put the enquiry only to owners whose ships fit, and reply by email with a named ship, her position and a freight or hire idea. Offers and counters run on the same thread until the main terms are agreed and any subjects are lifted; the fixture is then confirmed in a recap and written up on the agreed charter party form. Dry cargo from Capesize to coaster, MPP and heavy-lift, deck barges and tugs; and on the wet side product, crude, chemical, gas, bitumen, vegetable oil and coastal tankers.
Ways to charter a ship
The charter type decides who pays for what and who carries the time. Each has a standard form, and the desk's own pages set out the terms that move the price.
- Voyage charterGENCON 2022
The owner carries one cargo between named ports for a freight per tonne or a lumpsum and pays the ship's running costs, bunkers and port dues. The charterer's exposure to time is laytime and demurrage. - Time charter (period)NYPE 2015
The owner puts the ship and her crew at the charterer's disposal for months or years at a hire per day. The charterer pays bunkers, port costs and cargo handling and decides where she trades within the agreed limits. - Trip time charterNYPE 2015
A time charter for one voyage: the ship is delivered near the load port and redelivered near the discharge port, on hire per day, with the charterer giving the orders. - Bareboat charterBARECON 2017
The ship without crew: the charterer takes possession and full control and appoints the crew, insures and operates her, usually for a long term. - Contract of affreightment (COA)GENCOA
The owner commits to carry a series of cargoes over a period at one agreed freight and nominates a suitable ship for each lifting. It works as a series of voyage charters, not a charter of one particular ship.
A lot too small for a ship of its own goes as part cargo or parcel space on a ship already fixed or a breakbulk sailing.
Sources: BIMCO, GENCON 2022 (voyage charter); BIMCO / ASBA / Singapore Maritime Foundation, NYPE 2015 (time charter); BIMCO, BARECON 2017 (bareboat charter); BIMCO, GENCOA (contract of affreightment, dry bulk).
Lanes and cargoes
A charter is priced on the route and the cargo as much as on the ship. The desk keeps a page for each lane it works, for example Indonesia to India coal, Danube and Black Sea coasters, Egypt to West Africa, and for each cargo from the freight side, such as grain, steel breakbulk, crude oil tankers. The full lists are under lanes we work and cargoes from the freight side below.
Dry cargo vessel types we charter
The ship is chosen by the cargo, the parcel size and the draft and gear at both ports. Each class has its own page with its size range, gear, cargoes and the questions owners ask.
Supramax / Ultramax
50–65,000 dwt geared bulkers for coal, grain, fertilizer and minerals
Handysize / Handymax
25–50,000 dwt geared ships for bagged cargo, steels, grains and minor bulks
Panamax / Kamsarmax
65–85,000 dwt gearless bulkers for coal, ore, grain and mineral cargoes between equipped ports
MPP / Heavy-lift
Multipurpose and heavy-lift ships for project cargo, steel, machinery and out-of-gauge units
Coasters
1,500–12,000 dwt coasters and general cargo ships for grain, steel, bagged cargo and short-sea trades
Barges & tugs
Flat-top barges, LCTs and tugs for project modules, equipment and coastal cargo in the Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and Southeast Asia
Capesize / VLOC
Gearless bulkers of around 180,000 dwt and very large ore carriers of up to about 400,000 dwt for iron ore, bauxite and coal between deep-water terminals
300 ft tug & barge sets
Indonesian-flag 270, 300 and 330 ft coal barges with 2,000–3,200 BHP tugs, on freight charter per tonne or on time charter
Tankers and gas carriers
The wet-cargo side of the desk has its own page: tanker chartering.
Small tankers
2,000–10,000 dwt IMO II/III tankers for base oil, methanol, palm oil and clean products within Southeast Asia
MR / LR product tankers
Medium and long range product tankers for gasoil, jet, gasoline and naphtha cargoes and period employment
Crude tankers
Aframax, Suezmax and VLCC tonnage for crude and fuel oil cargoes on voyage and time charter
Chemical parcel tankers
IMO II stainless and coated parcel tankers of 10,000–50,000 dwt for chemicals, solvents and acids between regions
Gas carriers
Pressurised and semi-refrigerated LPG carriers, VLGCs and LNG carriers on spot and period charter
Bitumen tankers
Heated bitumen carriers of 3,000–15,000 dwt for bulk bitumen and asphalt from Oman, Fujairah and the Med to East Africa, India and West Africa
Vegetable oil tankers
Food-grade IMO II/III tankers for palm, sunflower and soybean oil parcels from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Black Sea
Bunker / coastal tankers
1,000–10,000 dwt bunker barges and coastal product tankers for port supply, coastal distribution and short-sea parcels
How the desk works
A stem or a requirement reaches us by email or through the forms on this site. Before it goes anywhere we settle the points owners ask first: rates and laytime terms, the charterer of record, the piece list on project cargo, the draft at a river port, the last three cargoes and the vetting on a tanker. Then it goes to the owners on our board whose ships fit, and only to them. We come back to the charterer with named candidates, positions and an indication, and to the owner only when a cargo fits the ship.
What we do not do
- Circulate your stem or your position to a list. Each goes only to the counterparties it fits.
- Introduce parties to each other. The desk stays in the middle until a fixture is agreed.
- Work any cargo, vessel, counterparty or route subject to UN, US, EU, UK or Swiss sanctions. Every counterparty and every ship is screened before an offer.
- Follow up. If you do not reply, we assume the answer is no.
Lanes we work most
Indonesia, Oman and the Red Sea into India and East Africa; the Black Sea and Danube into the Marmara, the East Med and Egypt; Egypt and Turkey to West Africa; China ex Qingdao, Shanghai and Tianjin to Southeast Asia, the Red Sea and Africa; and small tanker parcels between Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Positions and stems to desk-a005f1@in.laycandesk.com; anything else to hello@laycandesk.com. Email only: several brokers work each file, and the thread is the record.
Lanes we work
Oman to India
Limestone, gypsum, aggregates, urea and sulphur from the Omani coast into Gujarat on geared Handysize to Supramax tonnage
Egypt to West Africa
Bagged salt, cement and clinker, gypsum and bagged fertilizer from the Egyptian Med coast to the Gulf of Guinea on geared Handysize and Handymax tonnage
Turkiye to East Africa bitumen
Bulk bitumen on heated tankers and drummed bitumen on multipurpose ships from the Turkish refinery coast into the Indian Ocean
Indonesia to India coal
Thermal coal loaded by barge at Sumatra and Kalimantan anchorages into the Indian west and east coasts on Supramax and Panamax tonnage
Danube and Black Sea coasters
Grains, rapeseed, sunflower seed and steel on 3,000 to 12,000 dwt coasters and river-sea ships, any quantity on the draft of the day
Oman and Red Sea to India sulphur and fertilizer
Granular sulphur and urea from the Omani plants, and from the Saudi Red Sea when a loading is confirmed, into the Indian phosphate and fertilizer ports on Supramax to Panamax tonnage
Sumatra to Japan biomass
Palm kernel shell and wood pellets loaded by barge at the Sumatra and Kalimantan river anchorages for Japanese and Korean biomass power plants on Handysize and Supramax tonnage
North China breakbulk
Steel coil and plates, project cargo, slag and anchor chain from the north China steel ports on multipurpose, heavy-lift and geared Handysize tonnage
North China to Pakistan coil
Hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated coil from the Bohai steel ports to Pakistan, on geared Supramax and Ultramax tonnage or as part cargo on multipurpose ships
Vietnam to China wood chips
Acacia and eucalyptus chips from the central Vietnamese chip ports to the pulp mills of Guangxi, Hainan, Shandong and Jiangsu, the largest wood chip lane in the world
Malaysia to Japan PKS
Certified palm kernel shell loaded alongside at the Malaysian ports for Japanese biomass power plants on geared Handysize and Supramax tonnage
Vietnam to Bangladesh clinker
Portland cement clinker in 50,000 to 60,000 tonne bulk cargoes on geared Supramax and Ultramax tonnage for outer anchorage lighterage into Bangladeshi grinding mills
Chattogram to Vietnam mill scale
Bulk mill scale on geared Handysize tonnage from Bangladeshi shipbreaking and rolling mills into Vietnamese blast furnace steel complexes
Turkey to Peru steel
Deformed rebar, continuous casting billets and wire rod on geared Handysize tonnage via the Panama Canal for Peruvian infrastructure and mining
Norway to India olivine
Natural high-magnesium olivine sand and rock flux from Sibelco Aheim into Indian blast furnaces and foundries on geared Supramax tonnage via the Cape
Misurata to Izmir scrap
HMS 1&2 and shredded steel scrap on coasters and mini-bulkers from Libyan free zones to Turkish electric arc furnaces
South Africa to China minerals
Lumpy chrome ore, magnesite, and ferroalloys on Supramax and Panamax tonnage from South African deepwater bulk terminals to Chinese stainless steel hubs
Kalimantan to Sulawesi tug and barge
Indonesian-flag 270, 300 and 330 ft tug-and-barge sets carrying thermal coal from South and East Kalimantan jetties across the Makassar Strait to the Sulawesi nickel parks
Abu Zenima gypsum outbound
Natural gypsum rock for cement plants loaded at the Abu Zenima mining port in Sinai on Handysize and coaster tonnage, northbound through Suez to Mediterranean receivers or south through the Red Sea
Straits 13–17k dwt tankers
IMO II and III coated and stainless tankers of 13,000 to 17,000 dwt shuttling clean products, base oils, vegetable oils, oleochemicals and methanol from the Straits refineries and palm terminals to the regional ports MRs cannot use
Kolkata to Bangladesh IBP barge
Granulated blast furnace slag, fly ash, stone chips and other bulk in 1,000 to 3,000 tonne river barges from the Hooghly to the Bangladeshi cement grinders under the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade, with the Chattogram and Mongla sea route as the alternative
Southeast Asia to Caribbean palm oil
RBD palm olein, stearin, CPO and palm kernel oil parcels from Port Klang, Pasir Gudang and Dumai to Haina, Caucedo, Kingston, Point Lisas and Georgetown on food-grade parcel tankers and in flexitanks
West Africa to Pakistan soybeans
Non-GM soybeans from Nigeria, Togo, Ghana and Benin to Pakistani solvent extractors, in 20-foot containers of 20 to 22 tonnes and, where a stem can be built, in bulk into Port Qasim
Oman limestone to India and Bangladesh
Steel-flux and cement-grade limestone from the Salalah, Duqm and Sohar quarries in Supramax and Handysize lots to Indian steel and cement ports and to Bangladeshi grinders through Kutubdia and Chattogram outer anchorage lighterage
Nigeria urea to West Africa
Granular urea from the Lagos and Port Harcourt plants on short-sea Handysize, MPP and coaster tonnage to Ivorian, Ghanaian, Senegalese and Cameroonian blenders, bulk with quay bagging or bagged in the hold
DAP and urea to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam
Bulk DAP and granular urea on geared Supramax and Handymax tonnage into the Kenyan and Tanzanian subsidy programmes, discharged by grab and bagged on the quay
Methanol to Karachi
IMPCA methanol in 5,000 to 20,000 tonne parcels on coated and stainless chemical tankers from Oman and Trinidad into Pakistan's chemical terminals, for the formaldehyde and resin makers
Sulphur to Morocco
Formed sulphur from the Canadian west coast and the US Gulf to OCP's phosphoric acid complexes on Supramax and Panamax tonnage, routed by Panama or the Cape
GBFS from China and Japan
Unground granulated blast furnace slag from the Chinese and Japanese steelworks to cement grinders in India, Egypt and the US, on Supramax and Handysize tonnage with the moisture settled before fixing
Sulphur to Dar es Salaam for the Copperbelt
Formed sulphur for the acid plants of the DR Congo and Zambian copper and cobalt mines, discharged at Dar es Salaam or Richards Bay and trucked inland, on Handysize to Ultramax tonnage
Sulphur to Richards Bay
Granular sulphur for the Richards Bay phosphoric acid complex and the inland acid burners, on Handysize to Supramax tonnage into the deep-water dry bulk berths
Sulphur to Toamasina, Aqaba and Dakar
Formed sulphur for a nickel refinery and two phosphoric acid producers, each with its own berth and its own size limit, on Handysize and Supramax tonnage
Sulphur to Brazil
Formed sulphur for the superphosphate and phosphoric acid plants behind Santos, Paranagua and Rio Grande, on Supramax to Panamax tonnage into private fertilizer terminals
Urea to Thailand
Granular urea from Malaysia, Brunei, Oman and Indonesia to the Koh Sichang transhipment anchorage, lightered to barges for the Bangkok warehouses, on Handysize and Supramax tonnage
Urea to New Zealand
Granular urea for the two farmer co-operatives, discharged port by port around both islands on Handysize tonnage with holds certified clean before loading
Urea to South Africa
Granular and prilled urea for the blenders of KwaZulu-Natal and the Highveld, into the shallow bulk berths at Durban or the deep ones at Richards Bay, on Handysize to Supramax tonnage
Ammonia to India
Refrigerated anhydrous ammonia from Oman, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia to the tanks of the Indian DAP and NPK plants on mid-size gas carriers
Methanol to Japan
IMPCA-grade methanol from the US Gulf, Point Lisas, Labuan, Sungai Liang and Punta Arenas to Japanese receiving terminals on methanol carriers and chemical parcel tankers
Rock phosphate to Pakistan
Phosphate rock from Jorf Lasfar, Casablanca, Annaba, Aqaba and Safaga to the Karachi and Port Qasim bulk berths on geared Handysize to Supramax tonnage
Cargoes from the freight side
Steel breakbulk
Hot-rolled coil, plates, billets and rebar bundles on MPP, Handysize and Supramax tonnage
Bagged fertilizer
Urea, DAP and ammonium sulphate in 50 kg and jumbo bags on geared Handysize to Supramax tonnage
Limestone and aggregates
Grab-loaded Supramax and Handymax stems of limestone, gypsum, crushed stone and boulders from Oman to India and Bangladesh
Bagged rice and sugar
25 and 50 kg bags on geared Handysize and Handymax tonnage from Karachi, Kandla, Thailand and Brazil to the Red Sea, East Africa and the Philippines
Bitumen freight
Hot bulk on heated bitumen tankers at 150–160 °C, or drums, jumbo bags and bitutainers on MPP and in containers
Coal and petcoke
Supramax and Panamax stems of thermal coal and petroleum coke, from Indonesian anchorages and the US Gulf to India, China and Türkiye
Project cargo
Transformers, steel structures and out-of-gauge units on MPP, heavy-lift ships and deck barges, fixed on the piece list
Biomass and pellets
Palm kernel shell and wood pellets in 20,000–35,000 MT parcels from Sumatran river anchorages and Vietnam to Japan and Korea
Wood chips
Acacia and eucalyptus chips from Vietnam, Australia, South Africa, Thailand and South America to the pulp mills of China and Japan, a cargo that fills the holds long before the ship is down to her marks
Scrap metal
HMS, shredded and plate scrap in bulk on coasters, Handysize and Supramax; copper, aluminium and motor scrap in 20 and 40 ft containers
LNG carriers
Conventional 160,000 and 174,000 cbm LNG carriers, medium and small-scale ships and FSRUs on spot voyage, time charter and multi-year charter
Crude oil tankers
VLCC, Suezmax and Aframax crude stems on Worldscale voyage terms, time charter and COA
Iron ore
Iron ore fines, lump, pellets and concentrate on Capesize and VLOC tonnage from Brazil, Australia, Guinea and Canada, and on Supramax and Panamax from India and smaller ports
Grain
Wheat, corn and soybeans in bulk on Panamax, Kamsarmax and Supramax tonnage from the Americas, the Black Sea and Australia
Bauxite and alumina
Guinea bauxite to China on Capesize by barge transhipment, Australian and Brazilian bauxite, and alumina on Supramax tonnage
Clinker and cement
Clinker, bulk cement, GGBFS and fly ash on geared bulkers and pneumatic cement carriers from Indonesia, Egypt, Viet Nam, Türkiye, Japan and India
Bulk fertilizer
Bulk urea, DAP, MAP, potash and phosphate rock on Handysize to Panamax tonnage from Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and Canada
Salt and sulphur
Solar and rock salt from Australia, Mexico, Chile, India and Egypt, and granular sulphur from Canada, the US Gulf, Oman and the Red Sea, on Handysize to Supramax and larger bulkers
GBFS slag
Unground GBFS on geared Handysize to Ultramax tonnage from Indian east coast, Chinese and Japanese steelworks to cement grinders, and the river-barge leg into Bangladesh
Methanol and chemical parcels
IMO type 2 and 3 parcels of 1,000 to 20,000 tonnes on coated and stainless chemical tankers from Salalah, Sohar, Labuan, Brunei, Trinidad and the US Gulf into South and Southeast Asia
LPG parcels South Asia
Propane and butane parcels of 2,000 to 23,000 tonnes on pressurised, semi-refrigerated and mid-size gas carriers into Port Qasim, the Indian west coast, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from Oman and the US Gulf
rPET bales and flakes
Baled PET bottles, hot-washed flakes and rPET pellets in 40-foot containers, and 500 to 1,000 tonne part cargoes on break-bulk sailings, from the UK, EU and Pakistan to spinners in Türkiye, India and Pakistan
Bentonite and barite
Raw bentonite lumps and processed powder from Kandla and Mundra, barite from Morocco and India, on geared Handysize and Supramax bulkers, MPP ships and in containers to drilling hubs, bleaching-earth plants and foundries
Ways to fix
Part cargo
500–5,000 MT lots of coil, bagged goods and project pieces on a ship already fixed or a breakbulk sailing
COA
Monthly liftings over 6–12 months, one contract, one freight basis, the ship nominated lift by lift
Time charter
Trip time charter for one voyage, period charter for 6–12 months: hire per day, delivery and redelivery ranges, bunkers and off-hire
Voyage charter
The terms a cargo owner meets on a first fixture: FIOST, laycan and cancelling, NOR, SHINC and SHEX, laytime by rate or by days, demurrage and half despatch
Trip time charter
How a time charter works clause by clause: hire per day paid in advance, delivery and redelivery, bunkers, off-hire, speed and consumption, ILOHC, on NYPE 2015
Vessel chartering questions
What is vessel chartering?
Hiring a ship, or space on one, from the owner or operator who controls her, to carry a cargo. A voyage charter pays a freight for one cargo between named ports; a time charter pays a hire per day for a trip or a period, with the charterer directing the ship; a bareboat charter hands over the ship without crew; and a contract of affreightment covers a series of cargoes at one freight. The broker matches the cargo or requirement to a ship that fits and negotiates the terms between the two sides.
What is the difference between a voyage charter and a time charter?
Who carries the time and the running costs. Under a voyage charter the owner runs the voyage for a freight per tonne or a lumpsum and pays the bunkers and port dues; the charterer's only exposure to time is laytime and demurrage. Under a time charter the charterer pays hire per day plus bunkers, port costs and cargo handling, and decides where the ship goes within the agreed trading limits. One cargo between two known ports usually suits a voyage charter; several cargoes in sequence, or control of the rotation, suits a trip or period time charter.
How is a ship charter fixed?
The charterer's enquiry goes to owners whose ships fit it. An owner answers with an offer naming the ship and the terms, and offers and counter-offers go back and forth until the main terms are agreed: ship, cargo and quantity, ports, laycan, freight or hire, laytime and demurrage or delivery and redelivery, commission and the charter party form. Any subjects, such as the charterer's or the receiver's approval, are then lifted and the fixture is clean. The broker sends a recap of the agreed terms, and the charter party is drawn up from it on the agreed form, for example GENCON 2022 for a dry cargo voyage charter or NYPE 2015 for a dry cargo time charter.
What do I need to send to charter a vessel?
For a voyage charter: the cargo and its stowage factor, the quantity and tolerance, the load and discharge ports with the draft at each, the laycan, the load and discharge rates and terms, and the charterer of record. For a time charter: the delivery and redelivery ranges, the duration, the intended trading and cargoes with any exclusions, and the charterer of record. The vessel requirement form on this site asks for all of it, and the charterer is screened before any owner sees the enquiry.
What is a laycan?
The laydays and cancelling window: the first date on which laytime can start and the last date by which the ship must be ready to load. If she is not ready by the cancelling date the charterer may cancel. Under GENCON 2022 an owner who sees that the ship will miss the cancelling date must give a new readiness date, and the charterer then has 48 hours to accept it or cancel.
Do you charter tankers as well as dry cargo ships?
Yes. On the dry side, Capesize to coaster, MPP and heavy-lift ships, deck barges and tugs; on the wet side, small chemical and coastal tankers, MR and LR product tankers, Aframax to VLCC crude tankers, gas carriers, and bitumen and vegetable oil tankers. The tanker side has its own page setting out how a tanker enquiry is worked.