Ship Chartering Guides

Practical guides for charterers and ship operators: how a charter works, what the ship sizes mean and how freight and contracts are arranged.

• HandysizeHandysize bulk carriers are the small, flexible workhorses of dry bulk shipping. They reach ports that bigger ships cannot, and they carry the parcels that do not fill a larger hold.
• Supramax and HandymaxSupramax and Handymax ships are the most common size of bulk carrier for mid-size cargoes. They combine a useful cargo size with their own cranes.
• PanamaxPanamax ships are the standard size for large grain and coal cargoes. The name comes from the Panama Canal, which for a century set the limit of their width.
• CapesizeCapesize ships are the giants of dry bulk shipping. They carry the largest cargoes of iron ore and coal over the longest routes.
• Aframax, Suezmax, VLCCTankers are grouped by size. The class tells you how much oil a ship can carry, which ports it can enter and which routes it is used on.
• How to charter a shipChartering a ship means hiring a ship, or space on it, to carry your cargo. This guide follows the steps from the first idea to the voyage.
• Charter partyThe charter party is the contract between the charterer and the ship operator. It decides who pays what, when, and what happens when something goes wrong.
• Freight ratesA freight rate is the price for carrying a cargo by sea. It can be quoted in several ways, and it depends on many things. This guide explains the units and the main drivers.
• FOB, CFR and CIF shippingIn a sale of commodities by sea the delivery term decides who has to find and pay for the ship. This guide shows what FOB, CFR and CIF mean for the charterer.
• Shipping bulk cargoMoving a bulk cargo by sea involves more than finding a ship. This guide follows the cargo from the warehouse or the mine to the discharging port.
• Find a ship for your cargoIf you have a cargo and need a ship, you are looking for a charter. This guide shows the ways to find a suitable ship and what to prepare so that ship operators can answer.
• Find cargo for your shipA ship that has discharged and has no next cargo is an open ship. This guide shows how ship operators find cargo for it and what to send so that a charterer can decide quickly.
• UltramaxUltramax is the newest generation of the Supramax class: slightly bigger, with larger hatches and better fuel efficiency, and still with its own cranes.
• HandymaxHandymax ships are the middle-size geared bulk carriers between Handysize and Supramax. Many of them work in regional trades and in ports with limited equipment.
• Dry bulk shippingDry bulk shipping carries the raw materials of industry and food: ore, coal, grain and many other loose cargoes. It is the largest part of the world tramp fleet.
• World seaborne tradeSeaborne trade carries most of the world's merchandise by volume. Here are the main numbers for 2024 from the UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport 2025, and what they mean when you charter a ship.

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