Frequently asked questions.

How the numbers are worked out, and a glossary of the terms you'll see on the way.

Questions

How is the port-to-port sea distance measured?

We route it over a real maritime network of shipping lanes, the way a ship actually sails, rather than drawing a straight line between the two points. The distance is reported in nautical miles.

Does it route through Suez and Panama?

Yes, when that is the way the routed lane actually goes. A canal transit is detected from the route's own waypoints, not guessed at from the two ports, so the freight estimator only adds a canal toll when the voyage genuinely passes through one.

What is a nautical mile, and why not kilometres?

A nautical mile is 1.852 kilometres, and it is the unit shipping runs on: charter parties, speed in knots and freight indices are all built around it, so we report distance in nautical miles rather than converting the industry's own unit away.

What does "voyage time" include, and what does it not?

It is the sailing time for the passage itself, at the speed you give it -- the distance divided by the speed. It does not include time in port, waiting for a berth, or a margin for weather.

How is the freight rate in USD per tonne worked out?

We work out the ship your parcel would fit, calculate sea and port time from the distance and the loading rates, estimate fuel and port costs, add any canal toll, then adjust the result with the day's market figures.

What is a stowage factor and why does it change the rate?

It is how much space one tonne of a cargo takes up in a ship's hold, in cubic feet per tonne. A light cargo like wood pellets fills the hold long before it reaches the ship's deadweight limit, so the stowage factor -- not just the tonnage -- decides which ship the parcel actually needs.

Why does the calculator pick the ship for me?

A charterer with a cargo to move usually has no ship in mind yet, so we work out which vessel the parcel would fit -- cubing out or deadweight limited, whichever binds first -- and read the freight rate off that ship's size.

What is deadweight, and what are Handysize, Supramax, Panamax, Kamsarmax and Capesize?

Deadweight is the total weight a ship can carry -- cargo, bunkers, stores and crew -- and it is how the dry bulk fleet is grouped into commercial size classes, from Handysize (the smallest) up through Supramax, Panamax, Kamsarmax and Capesize (the largest). The class the calculator names alongside your rate is the one your parcel would need.

What is the Baltic Dry Index and how does it move the number?

It is the standard index of how busy the dry bulk shipping market is, and it scales every estimate. It matters far more for big ships than small ones, because the index itself is weighted towards them -- a move that barely touches a small coaster's rate can shift a Capesize's almost one for one.

What is a load rate and a discharge rate?

How many tonnes a day a port can load or discharge, in metric tons per day SHINC (Sundays and holidays included -- plain calendar days). They set how many days the ship spends in port, which is a real share of what the freight rate has to cover.

Is this a quote I can fix on?

No -- treat it as an opinion, not a quote. It does not include stevedoring, broker commission or demurrage, and it assumes the ship physically fits both berths, which it cannot check. Uncalibrated lanes can differ from a real fixture by several US dollars per tonne, more on very large ships.

Do I need an account, and does it cost anything?

You need a free account to run either calculator -- an email address and a password, nothing else. There is nothing to pay.

Glossary

Laycan: The window of dates within which a ship must arrive and tender notice of readiness to load.
Laytime: The time allowed, under the charter party, to load and discharge the cargo before extra charges apply.
Demurrage / despatch: Demurrage is what the charterer pays the owner for using more than the allowed laytime; despatch is a reward for using less. Neither is modelled by the freight estimator here — it assumes the load and discharge rates you give it.
Disbursements: The port costs a ship incurs on a call — pilotage, towage, berth dues and agency fees among them.
Bunkers: The fuel a ship carries and burns. Fuel is one of the main costs of a voyage.
Ballast leg: The passage a ship sails empty, usually to reach the load port.
Laden leg: The passage a ship sails carrying the cargo — the leg this site's distance and voyage time describe.
Parcel: The quantity of cargo being shipped in one lot, in metric tons.
Charterer: The party hiring the ship to move a cargo.
Broker: The intermediary who brings a charterer and a shipowner together and negotiates the fixture.
Voyage charter vs time charter: A voyage charter hires the ship for one cargo, one voyage, priced per tonne — what this site estimates. A time charter hires the ship itself for a period, priced per day, whatever cargo it carries.