Maritime glossary
Freight
The money paid to carry cargo by sea, usually quoted per tonne or as a lumpsum in a voyage charter.
Definition
Freight is the payment for carrying cargo, the core revenue of a voyage charter. It is usually quoted per tonne of cargo or as a lumpsum for the whole shipment, with the owner bearing voyage costs like fuel and port charges. Freight differs from hire, which is the daily payment under a time charter. Freight rates move with the balance of cargo demand and available tonnage, and are tracked by indices like the Baltic indices and Worldscale.
How Vessel Hunter uses Freight
Vessel Hunter focuses on who controls the ship rather than the freight number, but knowing the operator and trade is the starting point for any freight conversation.
Related terms
- Voyage Charter
A charter for one or more specific voyages, priced per tonne of cargo or as a lumpsum freight.
- Worldscale
The standardised freight-rate index used to price tanker voyage charters as a percentage of a published reference.
- Baltic Dry IndexBDI
A daily index of dry bulk freight rates across Capesize, Panamax, and Supramax routes, a barometer of the bulk market.
- Demurrage
A daily fee paid by the charterer to the owner when cargo operations exceed the agreed laytime.
The bigger picture
Freight is one piece of the commercial maritime picture Vessel Hunter pulls together for shipyards, suppliers, service providers, and port agents. Every vessel record bundles AIS, ownership, inspections, dry-dock history, casualty record, classification status, and a verified contact for the operator decision-maker behind the ship, so the team that reaches out first wins the work.
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