LaycanDeskNorth China outbound breakbulk freight - Qingdao, Tianjin and Caofeidian to the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia
Steel coil and plates, project cargo, slag and anchor chain from the north China steel ports on multipurpose, heavy-lift and geared Handysize tonnage. Qingdao, Tianjin, Caofeidian and Penglai to the Gulf, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia: hot-rolled coil, plates and pipe, project cargo and modules, steel slag and anchor chain on multipurpose and heavy-lift ships and geared Handysize breakbulk, fixed on the piece list and the stowage rather than the tonnage.
The north China steel ports ship the mills' output in every form. Qingdao and Tianjin load hot-rolled coil, plates, pipe and structural steel in breakbulk lots of 5,000 to 35,000 tonnes and project cargo from the fabrication yards behind them; Caofeidian loads slag from the Hebei mills in 50,000 tonne bulk cargoes for the cement grinders of Bangladesh; Penglai and Yantai ship anchor chain, mooring gear and wind-tower sections. Steel coil is stowed on dunnage and lashed, so the ship's hold shape and tween decks decide the lift, and project pieces are fixed on the heaviest unit and its dimensions: a 130-tonne transformer needs a heavy-lift ship, thirteen 10-tonne bundles a Handysize. The destinations are the Gulf and the Red Sea for pipe, structures and project cargo, Mumbai, Chittagong and Colombo for coil, plates and slag, and Southeast Asia for all of it, with passages of two to four weeks. Winter fog and the summer typhoon season interrupt loading at the Bohai ports. The 13 September sweep sighted 277 hulls at Qingdao.
A breakbulk or project enquiry reaches owners once the stowage question is answered: the piece list with weights and dimensions, how each piece is made up for lifting and whether it can be split, the total weight and cubic, the terms wanted, whether FLT, FIO or liner, and the laycan, together with the shipper of record, the discharge port and its gear, the commission and the charterer's name. Slag and other bulk stems out of Caofeidian are worked as Supramax cargoes with the mill and the receiver named. On the tonnage side the desk holds multipurpose and heavy-lift positions from operators with scheduled sailings out of Qingdao, Tianjin and Shanghai and puts part cargoes onto them per tonne or per freight ton, alongside full-charter Handysize and Supramax tonnage opening in north China, Korea and Japan. Every counterparty and ship is screened by name and IMO number before an offer, and the charterer hears back with named ships and sailing dates. We work by email.
Load ports
- Qingdao (coil, plates, project cargo)
- Tianjin and Xingang (steel, project cargo, machinery)
- Caofeidian (slag and steel in bulk)
- Penglai and Yantai (anchor chain, mooring gear, wind components)
Discharge ports
- Jebel Ali, Dammam and Sohar (pipe, structures, project cargo)
- Mumbai, Mundra and Chittagong (coil, plates, slag)
- Colombo and Karachi (steel products)
- Singapore, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila
Cargoes
- Hot-rolled coil and plates 5,000–35,000 t, geared Handysize and MPP
- Project cargo and modules on heavy-lift, up to several hundred tonnes a piece
- Steel slag 50,000 t bulk, Supramax
- Anchor chain and mooring gear, part cargo on MPP
Ships that carry it
The cargo itself, on Commbril
Questions charterers and owners ask
What do owners ask first on a steel or project enquiry?
The piece list: the heaviest single piece with its dimensions, whether pieces can be split, the total weight and cubic, and how each piece is made up for lifting. Coil needs the coil weight and diameter and whether it is eye-to-sky or eye-fore-and-aft. Drawings and a piece list settle it in one exchange.
Full charter or part cargo?
Operators with scheduled multipurpose sailings out of Qingdao and Tianjin sell space per tonne or per freight ton, which suits 1,000 to 8,000 tonne lots of coil, pipe or chain; larger lots and heavy pieces go on a full charter of a Handysize or a heavy-lift ship. Tell us the quantity and we quote whichever fits.
FLT, FIO or liner terms?
FLT means the owner loads, stows and discharges; FIO means the charterer does; liner terms fall between. Steel and project cargo out of north China is usually quoted FLT or FIO. Say which you want and we ask owners on that basis.
What must I send to get a named ship?
Piece list with weights and dimensions, packing and lashing, the shipper of record and loading berth, discharge port with its gear and draft, terms wanted, laycan, commission and the charterer's name. Bulk slag stems need the mill, the receiver, the quantity and the rates instead. With those the enquiry goes to owners the same day.