What we handle

SLS charters vessels and works the quay for cargo that does not fit a container: dry bulk poured into the hold, breakbulk loaded piece by piece, and project cargo that needs engineering before it needs a ship. Everything below answers to one desk.

Ship chartering

We charter vessels for cargo that does not fit a liner service. Voyage charters, time charters and part cargoes, fixed on the merits of the cargo rather than on whoever needs to fill a hold that week.

A voyage charter suits a one-off parcel: you pay a freight rate per tonne or a lumpsum, and the vessel carries your cargo between the ports agreed. A time charter suits a repeating flow: you hire the vessel for a period and control where she trades. A part cargo suits a parcel too small to fill a ship on its own, carried alongside other cargo for a share of the cost.

We work the market from the cargo outwards: what it weighs, how it stows, what gear the load and discharge ports have, and which laycan you can actually hold. Only then do we go looking for tonnage.

Voyage charter · Time charter · Part cargo · Contract of affreightment
A cargo ship at anchor, seen from the launch
A ship at anchor, seen from the launch on the way out.

Freight trading and operating

We also take tonnage on our own account. Where it serves the cargo we charter the vessel ourselves and sell you the carriage at a firm, all-in rate, carrying the risk between what we pay the owner and what we quote you.

A commission-based fixture gives you the market rate of the day plus a broker’s percentage. An operated fixture gives you a single number you can put in a tender, a budget or a sales contract, and it does not move because the market moved between fixing and loading.

When we act as operator we take on the exposure: the freight market between fixing and laycan, the demurrage risk, and the owner’s performance. That is the whole reason the rate is firm.

Which capacity we are acting in is stated on every offer we send, before you commit to anything. In this trade that is not always the case. Here it is.

Firm all-in rates · Disponent owner · Relet · Contracts of affreightment

Dry bulk

Dry bulk is unpackaged cargo poured straight into the hold: grain, fertilisers, minerals, aggregates, cement, coal. We fix handysize and supramax tonnage for it across the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and beyond.

Bulk looks simple until it is not. Grain needs clean, dry, odour-free holds and a passed surveyor inspection before a single tonne goes in. Fertilisers attack steel and need the right hold coatings. Cargoes that can liquefy need a moisture certificate before the vessel will accept them.

After four decades of these cargoes we know which questions to ask before fixing, not after loading has stopped.

Grain · Fertilisers · Minerals · Aggregates · Cement · Steel products
Scrap in the hold, seen through the gap between two hatch covers.

Breakbulk

Breakbulk is general cargo loaded piece by piece rather than in containers or poured in bulk: bundles, bags, crates, reels, steel sections. It rewards good stowage and punishes bad stowage on the first heavy sea.

Every breakbulk stow is a decision about weight distribution, dunnage, lashing points and the order of discharge. Get it wrong and the cargo shifts, the ship lists, and the claim lands on somebody.

We plan the stow before the cargo reaches the quay, and somebody of ours watches it go in.

Steel · Timber · Bagged goods · Reels · Machinery · Rolling stock

Project cargo and heavy lift

Project cargo is oversized or indivisible cargo that needs engineering before it needs a ship: transformers, turbines, pressure vessels, plant sections. We handle lifting studies, lashing plans and the gear on the quay.

A heavy lift is a chain of constraints: the crane capacity at the load port, the clearance on the road to it, the deck strength of the vessel, the reach of the gear at the discharge port. One weak link and the project stops.

We survey the chain first and commit second. Where the route needs a permit, a police escort or a temporary structure, that goes into the plan before a rate is quoted.

Heavy lift · Ro-Ro · Lo-Lo · Out-of-gauge · Lifting studies

Port operations and agency

We act on the quay, not only on the phone: agency, supervision of loading and discharge, tally, lashing and securing, draft survey attendance. Somebody of ours is present while your cargo moves.

Most disputes in this trade are decided by what was recorded at the rail. Tally sheets, photographs, mate’s receipts and a clear record of when laytime started are worth more than any argument afterwards.

We keep that record and we send it to you the same day.

Agency · Supervision · Tally · Lashing · Draft survey
The forecastle: crane, dunnage and gear, ready for the next call.

Door to door and customs

One accountable partner from the supplier’s gate to final delivery, road and rail legs included, with customs classification and clearance handled alongside so the cargo does not sit waiting for paperwork.

Pre-carriage, the sea leg, on-carriage and clearance are usually four different companies blaming each other. We take the whole chain so there is one number to call and one company answerable for it.

Classification, certificates of origin, phytosanitary documents and import formalities are prepared before arrival, not after.

Pre-carriage · On-carriage · Customs clearance · Certificates · Warehousing

Tell us what you need to move

Chartering terms, plainly

The vocabulary of this trade is old and unforgiving. Here is what the words actually mean, so nobody signs something they have not understood.

What is a voyage charter?

A voyage charter is a contract to carry a specific cargo between named ports for an agreed freight, paid per tonne or as a lumpsum. The shipowner keeps control of the vessel and normally pays the voyage costs such as bunkers and port charges, unless the parties agree otherwise.

What is the difference between a voyage charter and a time charter?

In a voyage charter you buy a single carriage and pay freight for it. In a time charter you hire the vessel for a period, pay hire per day, and take on the running costs of trading her, including bunkers and port charges. Voyage charters suit one-off parcels; time charters suit a repeating flow of cargo.

What is breakbulk cargo?

Breakbulk is general cargo loaded and discharged piece by piece rather than in containers or poured in bulk. Steel bundles, bagged goods, timber packs, reels and machinery are typical. It is handled with the ship’s gear or shore cranes and needs a stowage and lashing plan.

What is project cargo?

Project cargo is oversized, overweight or indivisible cargo that cannot be split into standard units: transformers, turbines, plant sections, pressure vessels. It requires lifting studies, route surveys and often special vessels or equipment.

What is a laycan?

Laycan is short for laydays and cancelling. It is the window during which the vessel must present herself ready to load. If she arrives before the first layday the charterer need not start loading; if she has not arrived by the cancelling date the charterer may cancel the charter.

What is demurrage?

Demurrage is the amount payable to the shipowner when loading or discharging takes longer than the laytime agreed in the charter party. It is compensation for the vessel being detained, and it is calculated per day or pro rata.

What does FIOS mean?

FIOS stands for Free In and Out Stowed. It means the charterer, not the shipowner, bears the cost of loading, stowing and discharging the cargo. Variants such as FIO and FILO shift those costs differently, so the exact term matters when comparing freight quotes.

How quickly will I get a freight quote?

A straightforward enquiry is answered the same working day, with a position and a freight indication. Where the cargo needs a lifting study, a route survey or a hold inspection before a rate can be given, we say so the same day rather than quote blind.

What information is needed to quote a cargo?

The commodity and its form, the quantity, the load and discharge ports, and the laycan. For breakbulk and project cargo, add the dimensions and weight of the heaviest single piece, and whether either port has gear. If loading and discharge terms are already agreed, say which ones.

Can a small parcel be shipped as a part cargo?

Yes. A parcel too small to fill a vessel on its own can be carried as a part cargo alongside other cargo, paying a share of the voyage. It is often the cheapest way to move between 1,000 and 8,000 tonnes.

What is the difference between a shipbroker and an operator?

A shipbroker introduces cargo to tonnage and is paid a commission by the party that engages it; the contract of carriage is between the cargo owner and the shipowner. An operator takes the vessel on charter itself and then sells the carriage on, becoming the disponent owner and carrying the commercial risk between the two freights. The same company can do both, in different deals.

Last updated 23 September 2026