Supramax and Handymax Bulk Carriers: Size and Cargoes
Supramax 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.
What the names mean
Handymax and Supramax are the size classes between Handysize and Panamax. The market usually puts them at roughly 40,000 to 65,000 DWT. Handymax ships are at the lower end. Supramax ships, built from about the early 2000s, are bigger and have five cranes and a modern hull; the largest ones are often called Ultramax. The words are used loosely, so always ask the ship operator for the exact DWT and the gear.
Why they are so popular
A Supramax can load a cargo of 40,000 to 55,000 tonnes and still call at many ports because it has its own cranes, usually four or five. This means it can discharge in ports with little or no equipment, which is common in West Africa, South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The size also fits many ports that have a draft limit around 12 to 13 metres.
Typical cargoes
Grain and oilseeds, fertilizers, coal, petcoke, cement and clinker, steel and bagged goods, bauxite and other minerals, forest products and scrap. A Supramax is often used for a part cargo mix too: for example grain and fertilizer on one voyage. See the guides to grain and coal and ores.
Gear, grabs and discharge
Ships with cranes can be fitted with grabs, which are buckets used for loose cargoes such as coal or fertilizer. Whether the ship brings grabs, how many and how big is part of the charter terms, so write it in your request if you need them. Check also the number of holds and hatches, the crane lifting capacity and the cargo hold floor strength for heavy cargoes such as steel.
Supramax compared with Handysize and Panamax
A Handysize ship can enter smaller ports; a Panamax carries more but has fewer cranes and needs a deeper port. Supramax is the middle choice: good size, own gear and wide port access. For a cargo between 30,000 and 55,000 tonnes it is often the first size to ask about.
How to request a Supramax or Handymax
In your request give the cargo, the quantity with a range (for example 45,000 tonnes, 10 percent more or less), the loading and discharging ports, the laycan and any special needs such as grabs or clean holds. The how to charter a ship guide explains the full steps from the request to the voyage.
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