Dry Bulk Shipping

What this hub covers

Dry bulk shipping moves unpackaged commodities, poured straight into a vessel’s holds rather than boxed or palletised. It is the largest segment of seaborne trade by tonnage, and the commodity decides almost everything that follows: how the cargo stows, which vessel class can carry it, and which loading and safety rules apply under the IMSBC Code.

This hub is organised by cargo. The major trades have their own pages, including iron ore, coal, grain, bauxite, and cement. Each page sets out the cargo’s stowage factor, its IMSBC group and hazards, the vessel classes that typically carry it, and the trade lanes it moves on.

Who it is for and where to start

The pages here are written for shippers, traders, and operators planning a bulk move and deciding which vessel and what terms fit the cargo. The thread that ties the cargoes together is the stowage factor, the cubic space a tonne of a given commodity occupies, which determines whether a cargo fills the holds by weight or by volume.

• Start with the concept that governs vessel fit: the stowage factor, then the cross-commodity stowage guide.
• Move to a specific trade: iron ore, coal, or grain.
• Match the cargo to a hull on the bulk carriers hub.

To move a parcel, tell us about your cargo and we will propose the vessel and the terms.