Ship Chartering Process

We use GENCON 94 chartering agreement for most cargo, and SYNACOMEX 2000 chartering agreement for bulk grain shipments.

For high-quality chartering of vessels with a carrying capacity of 3,000 to 10,000 tons, we need to have 5-7 working days. Unfortunately customers often come to us with a request to find a ship "for yesterday". In this case, you need to be prepared for the fact that the shipowners will ask for much higher rates.

Likewise we need lead time for high-quality chartering of vessels from 10,000 to 20,000 tons and above. It is desirable to have 7-10 working days for these. This will allow us to open a tender for transportation, collect all offers from shipowners and choose the most attractive for our client.

It is very important that shippers have a 'freight idea', i.e. an idea of what price per metric ton (M/T) they are prepared to pay. The freight tariff before the start of the official search for the ship to transport cargo, can be called in an 'approximate order'. Shipowners like to deal with experienced customers who know the value of the charter. When the customer is vague the shipowners tend to overestimate the freight tariff to allow a margin for error. Therefore, we always require our customers to understand that we will give them an accurate estimation of the freight tariff, also called 'level of freight' or 'freight level'.

Very often we have a situation where three shipowners can give different rates for shipping goods along the same route. Therefore, it is necessary to have enough time to work out the best option.

We do not add any margin to the freight rate. We work for you, the customer and aim to get the lowest possible rate, and our fees are quite separate. We are not intermediaries. We protect the interests of our client exclusively.

If our client does not have experience in concluding a contract for shipping in English, we will be happy to help coordinate all the conditions of the charter party and prepare the contract for signing.

Kiev Shipping arrange charter vessels for transporting all types of bulk and general cargo.

NOTE: We do not handle containerized cargo. We remind our clients of the fact that under the terms of the charter party (the contract of carriage by sea, which is signed between the client (charterer) and the carrier (shipowner), payment for the carriage of cargo must be made within 3-5 days after the end of loading and the ship's master's signature of the cargo bills of lading.

No deferment of payment and bank guarantees are accepted by shipowners. Title to the goods remains with the owner.

That is why we always recommend our customers to have "cash" to pay for shipping to the account owner.

Ship Chartering

Ship chartering through Kiev Shipping is fast and painless. We have the contacts, the expertise, and the reputation, which means that we can secure a suitable vessel for you.

We offer our clients a unique opportunity to receive a "real-time" calculation of the sea freight rates within 30 minutes after the payment is made. The calculation is based on current time charter rates, fuel costs and port fees at the ports of loading and discharge. You will receive a detailed report and will be able to understand the relevance of your idea of sea freight. The cost of the service is 100 USD for one calculation.

Prerequisites

To find a ship for you to charter we need the following information:

1. Name of cargo and its Stowage Factor i.e. cubic metres per metric ton (SF)
2. Port of loading
3. Port of discharge
4. Date of cargo readiness for loading
5. Loading rates (XXXX tons per day)
6. Discharge rates (XXXX tons per day)
7. Maximum age of the vessel (if there is a similar restriction in the sales contract)
8. Limitations on the flag and register of shipping (if there are similar restrictions in the sales contract)
9. Any other limitations (e.g. shallow draft, vessel has own loading/unloading gear etc)
10. All company data of the shipper in the port of loading
11. All company data of the receivers in the port of discharging
12. Expected freight rate ($ per Metric Ton)

You may complete a Shipping Enquiry online.

Shipowners do not like working with offshore companies without a solid track record. It always alarms them, which can lead to lack of cooperation.

For all enquiries about cargo shipments, please use the Chartering Enquiry form.