LaycanDeskScrap metal freight in bulk and containers
HMS, shredded and plate scrap in bulk on coasters, Handysize and Supramax; copper, aluminium and motor scrap in 20 and 40 ft containers. Freight for scrap metal two ways: ferrous HMS 1&2, shredded, P&S and plate in bulk on coasters, Handysize and Supramax tonnage, from 8,000 tonne short-sea stems to 40,000 tonne deep-sea cargoes into Türkiye, Egypt, India and Bangladesh; and non-ferrous copper, aluminium, motor, compressor, cable and stainless scrap in 20 and 40 ft containers at 22 to 26 tonnes a box on liner bookings.
Ferrous scrap in bulk is a grab and magnet cargo. HMS 1&2, shredded, P&S and plate go into the holds of Handysize and Supramax bulkers, and of coasters on the short-sea trades, by shore crane with a grab or an electro-magnet. HMS stows loose at about 1.5 to 1.9 cubic metres a tonne, so a ship can fill on volume before she reaches her marks; shredded stows denser and plate denser still. Heavy pieces dropped from height dent tank tops, bend frames and break hold ladders, which is why owners ask for a cushion layer of lighter scrap on the tank top first, for the charterer to accept stevedore damage, and for a hold-cleaning clause, because residues and loose pieces take time to clear. Scrap metal is an IMSBC Group C cargo; borings and turnings are not, and are declared separately because they self-heat. Load terminals and receiving mills run radiation checks, and a positive reading holds the cargo.
Deep-sea cargoes run from the US, North Europe and the Baltic to Türkiye, Egypt, India and Bangladesh, and short-sea stems run inside the Med: a spot stem of about 8,000 tonnes from Libya to a Turkish mill is a typical coaster or small Handysize shape. Non-ferrous scrap ships differently. Copper, aluminium, motors, compressors, cable and stainless go in 20 and 40 ft containers at 22 to 26 tonnes a box, because the value is high, theft is a real risk and each grade has to stay segregated to be paid for as that grade. Those boxes move on liner bookings quoted through lines and forwarders, pass radiation portals at discharge, rarely need fumigation, and compressors carry Basel and customs paperwork for the oil left in them. The desk fixes the bulk ships: send grade and mix, quantity with tolerance, load and discharge ports with gear and draft, rates, laycan and the charterer's name.
How it ships
- HMS 1&2, shredded, P&S and plate in bulk by grab and magnet
- HMS loose at about 1.5–1.9 cbm/t; shredded denser
- IMSBC Group C; borings and turnings declared separately
- Radiation checks at the load terminal and the receiving mill
- Non-ferrous in 20/40 ft boxes at 22–26 t each
Load areas
- US East Coast and US Gulf
- UK and North Europe (Rotterdam, Antwerp)
- Baltic (Riga, Klaipeda)
- Med short-sea, including Libya to Türkiye
Discharge areas
- Türkiye
- Egypt
- India
- Bangladesh
What owners ask for
- Grade mix and the heaviest single piece
- A cushion layer before heavy scrap goes in
- Charterer accepts stevedore damage, with on/off-hire survey
- Hold-cleaning clause or lump sum
- Radiation certificate at loading
Ships that carry it
The cargo itself, on Commbril
Questions charterers and owners ask
Why do owners worry about hold damage on scrap?
Because heavy HMS and plate dropped from a grab or magnet dent tank tops, bend frames and break ladders. Owners ask for a cushion layer of lighter scrap on the tank top before the heavy pieces go in, a clause under which the charterer accepts stevedore damage, surveys on and off hire, and a hold-cleaning clause or lump sum for the residues left after discharge.
Why does the stowage factor matter on HMS?
Loose HMS stows at about 1.5 to 1.9 cubic metres a tonne, so a ship often fills her holds before she reaches her marks, and her intake depends on the grade mix. Shredded and plate stow denser and load deeper. Give the owner the mix of grades and the intake can be worked out against her cubic.
Why is non-ferrous scrap shipped in containers and not in bulk?
Copper, aluminium, motor and cable scrap are worth far more a tonne than steel scrap, theft from open holds is a real risk, and each grade has to arrive segregated to be paid for. A 20 or 40 ft box of 22 to 26 tonnes, sealed at loading, answers all three. Those boxes go on liner bookings through lines and forwarders, not on a chartered ship.
What does a complete bulk scrap enquiry contain?
Grade and mix, quantity with tolerance, load port with berth and gear, discharge port with draft, load and discharge rates, the radiation certificate arrangement, laycan and the charterer's name. Every counterparty is screened before an owner sees the stem, and a stem without the charterer's name is not put to owners.