LaycanDeskCoaster & General Cargo Chartering
1,500–12,000 dwt coasters and general cargo ships for grain, steel, bagged cargo and short-sea trades. Coasters, river-sea ships and small general cargo tonnage for Danube and Black Sea grain, Med steel and bagged cargo, and short-sea parcels of 1,500 to 12,000 tonnes.
Coasters and small general cargo ships, from about 1,500 to 12,000 dwt, work the parcels that are too small or the ports that are too shallow for a Handysize. River-sea ships built to 6.5 metres draft load grain at Izmail, Reni and Giurgiulești on the Danube and carry it to the Marmara, the East Med and Egypt; 3,000 to 8,000 dwt coasters move steel, bagged fertilizer, salt and rapeseed around the Black Sea and the Med; and the same tonnage serves the North Sea, the Baltic and the Gulf of Guinea. Single-deckers, box holds and, on many, a crane or two for ports without gear.
Coaster business turns on draft and readiness. A Danube stem is any quantity on the permissible draft on the day, so the ship's draft and her position decide whether she can load at all, and the charterer wants to fix within days, not weeks. We keep coaster positions in the Black Sea, the Med and the North Sea on the board and go to owners with the load port draft, the quantity and the discharge rotation, coming back with a named ship, her draft, position and open date. Owners with tonnage opening in those areas hear from us only when a stem fits.
Cargoes
- Grain, corn and rapeseed ex Danube
- Steel coils, rebar and pipe
- Bagged fertilizer and salt
- Woodchips and forest products
- Project pieces and machinery
Lanes we work
- Izmail, Reni and Giurgiulești to the Marmara and East Med
- Turkey and Egypt coastal trades
- North Sea and Baltic
- Indonesian inter-island
Questions charterers and owners ask
What is a river-sea ship?
A coaster built for both inland waterways and coastal seas, usually 3,000 to 8,000 dwt with a draft of around 4 to 6.5 metres, so she can load on the Danube or the Volga-Don and sail on to the Marmara or the Med. The Danube grain trade runs almost entirely on them.
Why do Danube stems say 'any quantity on draft'?
Because the river's depth changes with the season, the loadable quantity is whatever the ship can lift at the draft available that week. The charterer states the maximum draft and the ship's captain declares the tonnage. An enquiry therefore needs the ship's draft more than her deadweight.
How quickly do coaster fixtures close?
Days, often less. Coaster charterers work spot and a ship that opens in the right place this week gets fixed this week. We reply to coaster stems the same day and only with ships that are actually open.
Which coaster positions do you want?
Anything from 1,500 to 12,000 dwt opening in the Black Sea, the Med, the North Sea or Indonesian waters. Name, IMO, dwt, draft, gear, open port and date to desk-a005f1@in.laycandesk.com.