LaycanDeskCapesize & VLOC Chartering
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. Gearless Capesize and VLOC tonnage for full cargoes of iron ore, bauxite and coal between deep-water terminals: Brazil, Western Australia, Guinea, South Africa and Canada into China and North Asia, fixed on voyage charter and trip time charter.
Capesizes are the largest standard bulk carriers, commonly around 180,000 dwt and too big for the old Panama and Suez limits, so they route round the Cape. Very large ore carriers, VLOCs, have no fixed lower limit (definitions start anywhere from about 160,000 to 250,000 dwt) and run up to the Valemax class of about 400,000 dwt built for Brazil to China ore. Both are gearless and trade only between terminals with shiploaders and grab unloaders: Ponta da Madeira with a natural low-tide draft of 26 metres, Saldanha Bay with berths for ships of 310,000 dwt, Sept-Îles for ships up to 400,000 tonnes, tidal Port Hedland, and the offshore transhipment points of Guinea where a Capesize of around 180,000 tonnes loads bauxite from barges by floating crane.
A Capesize stem is priced on the draft at both ends on the laycan, the loading and discharge rates, tide windows where they apply and the moisture certificates for any Group A cargo such as iron ore fines or bauxite fines. When a charterer sends a full-cargo enquiry, those are the points we settle before it goes to owners. Owners and operators with Capesize and VLOC tonnage send positions with name, IMO number, dwt, draft and open port and dates, and hear from us only when a cargo fits.
Cargoes
- Iron ore fines, lump and pellets
- Bauxite
- Coal
Lanes we work
- Brazil (Ponta da Madeira, Tubarão) to China
- Western Australia (Port Hedland, Dampier) to China
- Guinea bauxite and iron ore to China
- South Africa (Saldanha Bay) and Canada (Sept-Îles) to Asia and Europe
Questions charterers and owners ask
What is the difference between a Capesize and a VLOC?
Size and trade. A Capesize is commonly around 180,000 dwt and carries ore, bauxite and coal worldwide; a VLOC is a very large ore carrier, usually 200,000 dwt and up to the roughly 400,000 dwt Valemax class, built for long-haul iron ore between the few terminals deep enough to take her.
When is a Capesize the wrong ship?
When either port lacks the draft or the shore gear, or the receiver cannot take the full cargo. Capesizes are gearless, so they cannot work an anchorage without floating cranes or a berth without shiploaders and unloaders; Panamax and Supramax tonnage covers those ports.
What do you need for a Capesize enquiry?
Cargo and IMSBC declaration with moisture and TML certificates for Group A cargoes, quantity with tolerance and option, load and discharge ports with draft and tide on the laycan, loading and discharge rates, laytime terms, laycan, commission and the charterer's name.
Do you fix Capesize trip time charters?
Yes, trip time charter as well as voyage charter. Send the delivery and redelivery areas, the intended cargo and route, and the laycan, and we come back with named ships.