LaycanDeskPart Cargo & Parcel Space
500–5,000 MT lots of coil, bagged goods and project pieces on a ship already fixed or a breakbulk sailing. Part cargo and parcel space for 500 to 5,000 tonne lots of steel coil, bagged goods and project pieces, placed as completion cargo on a ship already fixed or on a liner-style breakbulk service, priced lumpsum or per tonne once the shipper's dimensions, weights, stowage factor and readiness are on the table.
A part cargo is a lot too small to fill a ship on its own, 500 to 5,000 tonnes of steel coil, bagged product or project pieces, that rides with other cargo: as completion cargo on a ship an operator has already fixed with space left in a hold or on deck, or on a liner-style breakbulk sailing that sells space by the tonne or freight ton. Owners like completion cargo because the ship is sailing anyway and the parcel is close to pure margin, which is why a well-presented part cargo can be priced below a dedicated charter. It is quoted lumpsum or per tonne, and the number moves on three things: rotation, since a port out of the ship's way costs a deviation; laycan flexibility, since a shipper who can load inside the operator's window gets the space and one who cannot does not; and stowage, since coil, bags and out-of-gauge pieces each take space and gear differently.
We work part cargo from the shipper's side. Send the commodity, the number of pieces or units with dimensions and weights, the stowage factor, the load and discharge ports, the date the cargo is ready and how flexible that is, and who the shipper of record is. With those we put the lot against the sailings and fixed ships on our board and come back with a named ship, her rotation and a lumpsum or per-tonne indication. Recent enquiries have been steel coil lots of 600 and 1,800 tonnes from Vietnam to the US Gulf and East Coast; the shape suits bagged goods and project pieces just as well. The shipper is screened before any operator hears the lot's details, and the work runs on email so the piece list, the stowage plan and the terms sit on one thread.
What to send us
- Commodity and how it is made up: coils, bundles, bags, crates or loose pieces
- Number of units with dimensions and weight per unit
- Stowage factor, or the total tonnage and cubic
- Load and discharge ports and the readiness date with its flexibility
- Shipper of record
How owners price it
- Lumpsum for the lot or a rate per tonne or freight ton
- Completion cargo on a fixed ship is priced on the margin, not the voyage
- Liner-style sailings sell space at a tariff with FLT or FIO terms
- Deviation for an off-route port is added to the lumpsum
Terms that move the number
- Rotation: on the ship's way or off it
- Laycan: inside the operator's window or needing the ship to wait
- Stowage: under deck, on deck, or needing dunnage and lashing
- Loading and discharge gear: ship's cranes or shore
- Who stows and secures: FLT, FIO or liner terms
Ships that carry it
The cargo itself, on Commbril
Questions charterers and owners ask
What counts as a part cargo?
A lot that does not fill a ship on its own, in practice 500 to 5,000 tonnes of coil, bagged goods or project pieces. It travels as completion cargo on a ship already fixed for a bigger parcel, or on a breakbulk sailing that sells space by the tonne. Anything above that is usually cheaper as its own charter.
Lumpsum or per tonne: which should I ask for?
Ask for both and compare. A lumpsum fixes the cost of the lot whatever the final weight; a per-tonne or per-freight-ton rate follows the tonnage or cubic, whichever is greater. Operators quote lumpsum for completion cargo and a tariff rate for liner-style sailings, so the shape of the ship usually decides.
Why does laycan flexibility matter so much for part cargo?
Because the ship's dates are set by the main cargo, not by yours. A shipper who can load inside the operator's window gets the space at the completion price; one who needs the ship to wait or return is asking for a deviation, and the price moves toward a dedicated charter.
What do you need before you go to operators?
The piece list with dimensions and weights, the stowage factor, the ports, the readiness date and the shipper of record. We screen the shipper first; an operator hears the lot's details only once that is done, and the whole exchange runs on email.