We are all experiencing, quite often, business/fixtures faltering due to cargo readiness and chrts’ failure to lift the subjs.

This is rather frustrating, for all, and not cost effective either, as a great deal of working hours have been spent, by all parties concerned, without producing the anticipated outcome, at the end of the day.

In sea transportations service, especially these days, the only steady and reliable datum is the vessel, as she has a position, physically, and can be monitored, even via satellites. There is no doubt about a vessel’s physical position.

A cargo, on the other hand, is a variable which is subject of questioning, if such cargo is ready at port to be loaded, or whether it is still subject of a sales contract negotiations, which, depending the incoterms, the exporters or importers are checking the transportation’s costs/freight in the market via their brokers. In which case, the cargo is not firm, yet, and thus it is possible the sales contract to fail, for various reasons. 

In the first case, cargo can be traced, via loading port agents and shippers. In the second case though cargo simply is nothing else but an idea, a business/trading deal under discussions and its anticipated to succeed or fail. Owners and brokers alike would rather to know, before they decide to enter into such  ‘venture' -availing their time and efforts- if this cargo is a sold cargo or not, or, if sold, a corresponding letter of credit has been issued, by the buyer’s bank.

We live in communications era, thus, any such information should and could be verified within few minutes or an hour, simply by asking the right questions to the right people, avoiding thus frustration, waste of time and money by identifying and securing the variable....the cargo!

Thanking you kindly for your encouraging messages and co operation so far!

Sincerely yours,
S.T.I.C
Anastasios Maraslis
President/Director.