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Vessel Options in Days · Mini-bulker to VLOC

Charter a Bulk Carrier

Charter a bulk carrier, from mini-bulker to Capesize. Send your cargo, ports, and laycan, and we send back an offer checked against the market within one business day.

Charter a bulk carrier: red-hulled vessel approaching port with hatch covers open, aerial daylight view

Charter a bulk carrier through Bulkargo and you get ship options, a freight estimate, and a charter party under way within days. We find the ship, negotiate the price, and stay with you from your first inquiry through settlement after the voyage.

What you get when you charter a bulk carrier with us

One inquiry gets you a shortlist of ships, a price checked against recent fixtures, and a charter party we have already reviewed clause by clause. The broker who fixes the ship stays with you through demurrage and settlement.

Ship options

Three to six suitable ships for your cargo and laycan, found through our network of owners and operators.

A freight estimate

A price checked against recent fixtures for similar cargo.

A charter party

Gencon or the standard form for your trade, reviewed clause by clause before you sign.

One broker to settlement

The broker who fixes the ship stays with you through demurrage and final settlement.

How to charter a bulk carrier

The steps are the same for a one-off spot voyage and a long-term contract of affreightment. A routine dry cargo voyage charter takes three to seven business days from inquiry to signed fixture. Project cargo, heavy lift, and specialist fixtures need four to eight weeks of lead time. Fewer ships can take them, and the engineering reviews take longer.

  1. 01

    Tell us what you need

    20 to 30 min

    Tell us the cargo type and tonnage, the load and discharge ports, the laycan window, and any limits on the ship. We ask about anything missing, so the offers that come back are easy to compare.

    You provide
    Cargo, ports, laycan
    We handle
    Questions on stowage and ship fit
  2. 02

    Market search

    24 to 72 hrs

    We ask our network of owners and operators for ships that fit your cargo, laycan, and limits.

    We handle
    Shortlist of three to six ships
  3. 03

    Comparing offers and negotiating

    24 to 48 hrs

    We compare each offer with recent fixtures for similar cargo. Then we negotiate the freight, laytime, demurrage, and the other terms.

    We handle
    Price negotiation, full terms
  4. 04

    Fixture and charter party

    24 to 72 hrs

    We exchange a recap, then draw up the formal charter party on Gencon or the standard form for your trade. We review every clause before you sign.

    We handle
    Charter party review, arranging signatures
  5. 05

    Before loading

    This step covers ship nomination, notice of readiness, appointing a port agent, and the hold cleanliness inspection and surveys.

    We handle
    We liaise with the master, the owner, and the port agents
  6. 06

    Voyage and settlement

    The ship loads, the bill of lading is issued, and the cargo is discharged. We review the statement of facts. After discharge we settle demurrage and support any dispute where needed.

    We handle
    Settlement, paperwork, dispute support

What it costs to charter a bulk carrier

You pay for a voyage charter by the tonne of cargo and for a time charter by the day. The price depends on the route, the cargo, the size of the ship, and the state of the market. The table shows typical prices in a normal market.

Charter typeHow you payTypical price
Voyage charter Per tonne, in USD A few USD a tonne on short runs. USD 25 or more a tonne for iron ore from Brazil to China
Time charter, Panamax/Kamsarmax Per day, in USD USD 12,000 to USD 30,000 a day
Time charter, Handysize/Supramax Per day, in USD Less than a Panamax
Time charter, Capesize Per day, in USD Can cost a lot more when the market is busy

The price we negotiate is the price you pay.

What we need from you

Send what you have. The list below matches the fields on our quote form. Each item shapes the ship shortlist, the price, or both.

What to sendExampleWhy it matters
Cargo spec and quantity About 32,000 MT of bulk urea Tells us the stowage factor (how much space a tonne takes up), how clean the holds must be, and the ship size
Load port or region A specific port, or a range of ports at an early stage Sets the draft and air draft limits, the loading rate, and which berths are available
Discharge port or region A specific port, or a range The same checks at the other end, plus any limits the receiver sets on ship age or P&I cover
Laycan window A window of 7 to 14 days is normal A tighter window leaves fewer ships to choose from, and prices tend to rise
How you want to pay Voyage by the tonne, time charter by the day, or "advise" Tells us which charter type to look for before we search the market

Flag any special requirements when you first get in touch: hold cleanliness, loading or discharge gear, draft limits, or a maximum ship age. We use them as hard filters on the shortlist. A budget is optional but useful. We do not negotiate to that number. It tells us quickly whether the market sits above, below, or in line with your figure. For a recurring programme, add your annual or seasonal volume forecast, the port pairs, and any existing contract of affreightment (COA) terms. A broker replies within one business day.

Bulk carrier sizes we charter

We can reach every size of dry bulk ship, from mini-bulker up to VLOC for iron ore programmes.

Vessel ClassDWT RangeMinimum Cargo Size
Mini-bulker ~3,000 to 10,000 DWT From ~3,000 MT
Handysize ~25,000 to 40,000 DWT From ~25,000 MT
Handymax ~45,000 to 55,000 DWT N/A
Supramax/Ultramax ~58,000 to 63,000 DWT From ~50,000 MT
Panamax/Kamsarmax ~75,000 to 82,000 DWT 65,000 to 80,000 MT
Capesize ~180,000 DWT 150,000 to 180,000 MT+
VLOC 320,000+ DWT Iron ore programmes through long-haul owner relationships

A mini-bulker does not pay for itself on less than 3,000 MT. For a small parcel, the practical option is a part cargo on a multipurpose ship. For liquids, it is a slot on a parcel or chemical tanker. We look at more than DWT when we pick a ship. Its age and class, last cargo, current position, trading restrictions, and whether it has its own cranes (geared or gearless) all decide which ship we show you.

Which charter type fits your cargo

The charter type follows the pattern of your cargo. A single cargo points to a voyage charter. A rolling programme or an annual lifting commitment points to a time charter or a contract of affreightment.

Charter TypeFits
Voyage charter A single cargo on a set laycan. The owner carries the ship risk. Most fixtures use this setup.
Time charter A rolling shipping programme where you want freedom over routing and intake.
Contract of affreightment An annual or seasonal lifting commitment where you want to lock in the tonne-mile cost over a set volume.
Consecutive voyages A repeating route where the same ship runs the same loop, and the owner spreads the cost of the empty legs across the voyages.

Choose a voyage charter to rent a cargo ship for one shipment. You fix the ship for a single lift, and the owner carries the ship risk for that voyage. Choose a time charter, a COA, or consecutive voyages to hire a bulk carrier on a repeating route or under an annual lifting commitment. We will tell you which one suits your volume and trade. If you ship every month or need several ships, a COA or consecutive voyages saves you from looking for a new ship each time.

Why charter through an independent broker

We are an independent broker. We do not own ships, so we recommend the ship that fits your cargo.

We handle the full job. The same broker stays on your deal from inquiry through the paperwork and demurrage after the voyage. We do not hand you off to a separate operations team.

Our desk works seven days a week. Bulk freight does not stop for weekends. Short-notice cargoes, open ship windows, and weather disruption often turn up outside business hours.

Bulkargo was founded in 2022. A trading team with more than 30 years in dry-bulk commodities leads the company.

Common questions

How do I charter a bulk carrier?
Send us the cargo type, the tonnage, the load and discharge ports, and your laycan window. Partial information is fine, and we fill in the rest on the first call. The market search then gives you a shortlist of ships within 24 to 72 hours. Comparing offers and negotiating takes another 24 to 48 hours. Going from the recap to a signed charter party takes a further 24 to 72 hours. A routine dry cargo voyage charter usually closes in three to seven business days from first inquiry to signed fixture. A broker replies within one business day.
How much does it cost to charter a bulk carrier?
You pay for a voyage charter by the tonne of cargo and for a time charter by the day. In a normal market, a Capesize voyage costs a few dollars a tonne on a short run and USD 25 a tonne or more to carry iron ore from Brazil to China. A Panamax on time charter usually costs USD 12,000 to USD 30,000 a day. Handysize and Supramax ships cost less, and a Capesize can cost a lot more when the market is busy. Using a broker costs you nothing directly, because the ship owner pays our commission out of the freight.
How long does it take to charter a bulk carrier?
A routine dry cargo voyage charter takes three to seven business days from inquiry to signed fixture. Project cargo, heavy lift, and specialist fixtures need four to eight weeks of lead time. Fewer ships can take them, and the engineering reviews take longer. The state of the market can shorten or stretch either window. Even routine fixtures take longer when few ships are free at short notice. Owners come back the same day when there are more ships than cargoes.
What's the smallest cargo I can charter a vessel for?
You can charter a mini-bulker from around 3,000 MT. Below that, the practical option is a part cargo on a multipurpose ship. For liquids, it is a slot on a parcel or chemical tanker, where several shippers share the ship. Handysize starts from around 25,000 MT, Supramax and Ultramax from 50,000 MT, Panamax from 65,000 to 80,000 MT, and Capesize from 150,000 to 180,000 MT and above.
Do I need a broker, or can I hire a bulk carrier direct from an owner?
You can go to owners direct. Most cargo owners use a broker for three things that are hard to build in-house: access to the market, a comparison with recent fixtures for similar cargo, and support on demurrage and disputes after the fixture. The ship owner pays the broker's commission out of the freight. Going direct saves you no fee. You simply lose the market access and the support after the fixture.
Can I charter a bulk carrier for one voyage, or does it have to be a long-term contract?
One voyage is fine. A single voyage charter is the default and the most common setup. Time charter, contract of affreightment, and consecutive voyages are there for cargo that repeats. That could be a rolling shipping programme, an annual lifting commitment, or a route where the same ship runs the same loop.

Related references

Chartering terms

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Ready to fix?

Tell us about your cargo. A broker will respond within one business day with an initial market read and next steps.

Cargoes we have fixed since 2022

  • Cement
  • Quicklime
  • Bitumen
  • Project cargo
  • Machinery
  • Mining ores and earths