A cargo to move in the next three weeks
A typical case: a quantity, a load port, a discharge area, loading dates, and a budget that decides if the trade makes money. You e-mail it to two or three brokers. Each broker sends it to the owners they know. Answers arrive over several days, in no fixed order.
A posting here goes to every desk on the platform at once. Brokers still see it and still work on it, because a broker with a suitable ship is who you want to hear from. The difference is that a ship owner with a ship free in the right place and week also sees it, on their own fleet screen, and can answer directly.
What a cargo posting carries
The same fields a broker puts in a cargo e-mail, and no more. Commodity, quantity and tolerance (how much more or less may load), stowage factor (the space a tonne of cargo needs) where it matters, load and discharge port or region, laycan, voyage or time charter, and the terms in the usual trade format. A rate idea is hidden unless you tick the box, because if every owner sees your price, they can use it against you.
Post as your company or as "a cargo owner". An anonymous posting shows the cargo but not your name. Your name is shown to one person at a time, when you answer them. Nothing from your notes is copied. A posting is a copy of the fields you chose, made when you press the button. You can withdraw it as soon as the cargo has a ship.
What comes back
Each desk can send one enquiry per posting, with the desk's name, the person's name and an e-mail address. You answer or decline from the board. After your first reply, both sides see each other's names and the negotiation continues by e-mail and phone. The board is where the talk starts, not where it happens, and Neptune Atlas is not a party to the deal.
The free plan allows three live postings at once. Withdrawing one frees the slot, so a trader with a cargo every two weeks never has to pay to keep posting. The limit is on how many postings are live at once, not on how often you trade.
For a charterer's desk, the rest of the product
A charterer who hires ships every week needs a full desk, which is the paid product. It adds a search that finds ships before anyone posts them, a calculator that shows what a ship should cost, and a record of every deal.
Tonnage search across the register
Desk and aboveSearch 101,900 ships that have an IMO number by deadweight (carrying capacity), size class and route, and see who manages each one. 45,386 have a commercial contact you can e-mail about a fixture. See the vessel register.
Voyage estimate and the freight it implies
Chartering and aboveFuel (bunkers) by grade, port costs, canal fees and commission, worked back to what the owner earns per day. That number tells you if the rate you were quoted is a good one. See the voyage estimator.
Laytime and demurrage from the statement of facts
Chartering and aboveThe port agent's statement of facts (the log of events in port) becomes a time sheet. Every stop has its reason, and the sheet shows the demurrage (money for delay) or despatch (money for finishing early). When a claim arrives, you argue from the sheet, not from memory. See laytime and demurrage.
Fixtures (your deals)
Desk and aboveEvery deal with its rate, basis, laycan, parties and status, from negotiation to fixed. The recap is kept exactly as it was sent.
Questions charterers ask
Does it cost anything to post a cargo?
No. A free account can keep three cargoes live at once, and withdrawing one frees the slot.
Who sees my cargo?
Anyone who reads the board sees the cargo, the ports, the laycan (the dates the ship must arrive to load) and the terms. Your company name is shown only if you choose to show it, and a rate idea only if you tick the box.
Do I still need a broker?
No, but you can use one. Brokers read the board and answer postings like anyone else. Many cargo owners still use a broker for the negotiation and the paperwork.
What does it cost to charter a ship?
There is no list price. Freight is agreed for each cargo, per tonne or as a lump sum. The owner pays every broker's commission (normally 1.25% per broker) out of the freight, so it is not a separate fee to you. Posting a cargo on the board costs nothing.
How do owners reply, and what happens next?
Each desk can send one enquiry per posting, with a name and an e-mail address. You answer or decline from the board, and the negotiation continues by e-mail and phone. Neptune Atlas is not a party to the fixture (the final deal).
Voyage charter or time charter?
For a single cargo, almost always a voyage charter. You pay freight per tonne and the owner pays the voyage costs. The difference, explained.
I have never chartered a ship. Where do I start?
With a clear enquiry: commodity, quantity, ports, laycan and terms. How to charter a ship for your cargo explains each step, from the enquiry to the recap (the written summary of the deal).
Where to start
Create an account as a cargo owner and post your cargo. No card is needed. You can try Desk free for 7 days when you want, and the plans are on the pricing page.
The board itself is described at the marketplace, and the owners you will hear from have a page of their own.