Ship Chartering

Ship chartering is the commercial engine of global trade. It is the mechanism by which cargo owners, traders, and commodity companies gain access to vessel capacity without owning a ship — and it is one of the most strategically complex services in the maritime industry. At Unified Maritime Services, we act as your chartering desk: sourcing the right vessel, negotiating the best charter party terms, and managing the commercial relationship from fixture to final port.

How Ship Chartering Actually Works

A charter party is the legally binding contract between the shipowner and the charterer. Before any cargo moves, this contract must define laytime (the permitted time for loading and unloading), freight rates, port rotation, cargo type, and liability allocation. Getting this wrong costs money — demurrage (the penalty for exceeding laytime) can run into tens of thousands of dollars per day. Getting it right, with well-negotiated despatch clauses and clear bill of lading terms, protects you at every stage of the voyage.

Voyage Charter

A voyage charter hires a vessel for a single specific journey between defined loading and discharge ports. The shipowner covers fuel, crew, and operational costs. You pay freight — typically per metric tonne of cargo or as a lump sum. This is the most common structure for bulk commodity shipments: grain, coal, fertiliser, steel coils. Our team monitors the spot freight market daily across the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) and tanker rate panels, ensuring we fix your cargo at the right moment in the freight cycle.

Time Charter

A time charter leases a vessel for a defined period — weeks, months, or years. The shipowner continues to manage the vessel operationally (crew, maintenance, insurance), but you — the charterer — take commercial control. You decide the trading routes, the ports, and the cargo. You pay daily hire plus voyage costs such as bunkers and port dues. This structure suits traders and commodity companies who want consistent shipping capacity without the capital burden of vessel ownership. We help structure the hire rate, off-hire clauses, and vessel approval criteria that protect your position throughout the charter period.

Bareboat Charter

A bareboat charter — sometimes called a demise charter — is the closest arrangement to outright ownership without purchasing a vessel. You take full operational control: crewing, maintenance, insurance, and all costs are yours. The shipowner provides only the hull. This is used for long-term strategic arrangements, vessel financing structures, and flag-state changes. It is a specialist transaction requiring careful negotiation of redelivery conditions, maintenance standards, and mortgage clauses.

Our Role as Your Chartering Broker

We maintain active relationships with shipowners, operators, and tonnage providers across the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and major global trading hubs. When you bring us a cargo or a requirement, we work the market — screening vessels for suitability, verifying class records and port state control histories, and negotiating charter party terms on your behalf. We do not simply find a ship. We find the right ship, at the right freight level, with terms that protect you if things go wrong at the port.

Cargo Types We Handle

Our chartering desk covers the full range of dry bulk (grain, coal, bauxite, fertiliser, clinker), liquid bulk (fuel oil, bitumen, chemicals, edible oils), breakbulk (steel, project cargo, machinery), and container slots for mixed cargo. For specialist LPG and LNG movements, our Port Captain Services team works alongside the chartering desk to ensure operational readiness at the discharge terminal before the vessel is fixed.