How to Find a Ship for Your Cargo: Charter, Rent or Hire a Cargo Ship
If 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.
Charter, rent or hire: it is the same thing
People search for "rent a cargo ship", "hire a cargo ship" or "charter a cargo ship". In shipping the word is charter: you agree with a ship operator to carry your cargo, or to use the ship for a period. For one cargo from port to port it is a voyage charter; for a period it is a time charter. Read time charter vs voyage charter to choose.
Where to look for a ship
Through a chartering broker who knows the market; through the ship operators you already work with; through the position lists and market reports that brokers send; and through platforms where charterers post their cargo and ship operators answer. On Shipfixing you post a ship request, we scan for suitable ships and ship operators send you offers.
What to have ready
The cargo and the quantity with a tolerance, the loading and discharging ports, the laycan, the loading and discharging rates, the type and size of ship you can accept and anything special, such as clean holds or heating. Give a freight idea if you have one, or ask for the best offer. See how to charter a ship for the full steps.
Choosing the type and size
Pick the ship type for your cargo: a bulk carrier for grain, coal or fertilizer, a tanker for liquids, a reefer for chilled cargo. Then check the size against your ports: Handysize, Supramax, Panamax or Capesize.
Comparing the offers
Compare the ship name and size, the age and the flag, the class, the laycan she can meet and the terms for laytime and demurrage, and compare the freight on the same basis; see freight rates explained.
Looking for a ship in the sense of tracking
If you want to see where a ship is at sea, you need a ship tracking service; chartering is about hiring a ship for a cargo, and it comes before the voyage.
Post your ship request
Shipfixing connects charterers and ship operators. We scan for suitable ships. Voyage requests for ships below 10,000 DWT need no signup and no membership.
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Shipfixing is a digital platform. We are not a ship broker, ship agent or carrier, and we are not a party to any charter.