Should I charter a supramax or an ultramax?

It depends on whether your cargo can use the ultramax's extra intake and whether both ports take the larger ship. Both are compared on freight per tonne for your stem.

Do supramax ships have grabs?

Many are fitted with grabs, and most have four cranes. Where the discharge berth depends on the ship's gear, your broker confirms the cranes and grabs before fixing.

What cargoes do supramax and ultramax ships carry?

Common grain, fertilizer and coal stems, and many minor bulks, typically in parcels of about 45,000 to 63,000 mt.

Supramax & Ultramax · about 50,000 to 67,000 dwt

Charter a Supramax or Ultramax vessel for your cargo.

For stems of roughly 45,000 to 63,000 mt, loaded and discharged with the ship's own cranes where the port needs it. CharterDeck's AI compares your cargo with each supramax and ultramax on intake, cranes and grabs, and port limits, then ranks them on the whole voyage; your broker negotiates the fixture.

Send your cargo Estimate your voyage

The geared workhorse: Four cranes, often with grabs, for ports where shore cranes are limited.
Both sizes compared: Supramax against ultramax on what your stem can actually use.
Broker-led fixture: Your broker negotiates freight and terms with the owners of the strongest ships.

How AI chooses between a supramax and an ultramax

The question is often not whether a geared ship fits, but which of the two sizes pays off for your cargo. CharterDeck's AI works that out before the negotiation starts:

Compares the extra intake of an ultramax with what your stem, tolerance and stowage factor can use
Checks both sizes against the draft and length limits at each port
Confirms four cranes and grabs where the discharge berth depends on them
Weighs each ship's ballast and open date against your laycan
Ranks freight per tonne across both sizes on the whole voyage

When a supramax or ultramax fits

Supramax and ultramax ships suit common grain, fertilizer and coal stems and minor bulk parcels that are too large for a handysize but need a ship that can work cargo without shore cranes. The ultramax is a newer, larger design built to carry more cargo on similar port limits.

More cargo per voyage

Spreading the voyage costs over more cargo usually lowers the freight per tonne, as long as the cargo is there to fill the ship. If the stem cannot use the extra intake, the larger ship's advantage disappears.

Supramax or ultramax?

Where both fit the ports, an ultramax's extra intake can pay off for a larger or lighter stem; for a stem that fills a supramax, the smaller ship may be the better buy. The two are compared for your cargo rather than defaulting to either.

Stem in the 45,000 to 63,000 mt range? Send it and get supramax and ultramax options compared.

Send your cargo

Draft at the smaller ports

At the top of the geared range, draft and berth length start to bite at smaller ports. A ship that suits the load port may still be too deep for the discharge berth, so both ends are checked.

Cargoes that often suit a supramax or ultramax

Grain stems of about 35,000 to 60,000 mt
Fertilizers in bulk
Cement and clinker where discharge relies on the ship's cranes
Scrap, in holds suited to grab and magnet loading
Coal and minor bulks

What moves the freight

How much of the larger intake the cargo uses
Draft and berth limits at both ends
Crane and grab requirements
Ballast distance and open position
Load and discharge rates
The geared market at the time

How a supramax and ultramax charter runs with CharterDeck

You send the requirement, in a minute with the form or as you would circulate it
Our AI structures it, screens suitable ships and compares the voyage economics
Your broker reviews the shortlist with you and checks every point the AI has flagged
Your broker works the owners and negotiates freight and terms
The recap is issued from the agreed terms, and the voyage is followed to discharge

Questions, answered

Should I charter a supramax or an ultramax?: It depends on whether your cargo can use the ultramax's extra intake and whether both ports take the larger ship. Both are compared on freight per tonne for your stem.
Do supramax ships have grabs?: Many are fitted with grabs, and most have four cranes. Where the discharge berth depends on the ship's gear, your broker confirms the cranes and grabs before fixing.
What cargoes do supramax and ultramax ships carry?: Common grain, fertilizer and coal stems, and many minor bulks, typically in parcels of about 45,000 to 63,000 mt.