Professional Documents
Culture Documents
‐A case study on the influence of modern business tools
and its effects in Dry Cargo Chartering
Krishna Prasad
(Paper presented at the Dubai Shipping Seminar on the 28th October 2010)
Mr Krishna Prasad is currently Managing Director of M/s Aster Marine Cargo LLC.
Mr Krishna Prasad has presented papers at many renowned International Shipping Seminars
and Conferences in contemporary topics. He has also been a visiting faculty in many Institutes and
Universities, in India and in Dubai. He also conducts corporate training programmes and is a consultant
in shipping and logistics.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and the Chartered Institute of Logistics
and Transport and is in the Leadership Team of the Supply Chain and Logistics Group and a member of
the Executive Committee of the Institute Of Chartered Shipbrokers UAE Branch .
1.0 Abstract
The shipping industry has undergone changes in the past; principally the usage of steel in ship‐
building and the introduction of mechanical propulsion. More recently, changes ushered in by
modern computing and communication tools, newer concepts such as containerization, multi‐
1
modalism, outsourcing and globalization are revolutionizing the practice of shipping business. The
use of a variety of communication modes, powerful computing methods and relatively inexpensive
transfer of data on real time basis is bringing about noticeable changes in the industry.
This paper attempts to analyse the changes in the industry and its business practices with special
emphasis on dry cargo chartering – a branch of commercial shipping involving a wide variety of
ships and cargoes and varying business practices. It also tries to highlight the pitfalls that some of
the recent changes could introduce in the age old practices.
2.0 Introduction
The topic – ‘Trends in Shipping Business’‐ points to predicting or forecasting the trends in shipping
industry. Prediction is normally understood as a statement of what will happen in the future, not
necessarily based on the experiences and understanding of the past. Predictions or forecasts can never
be cent percent correct and hence are considered to be tricky exercises.
While attempting a forecast, what we could do is to analyse the changes the industry has gone through
in the last few years, the reasons for the changes and their impact on the industry. Such an analysis will
help us understand the direction which industry practices is likely to take in the future.
Shipping is perhaps one of the oldest modes of transport – one which enabled the development of
humanity by spreading, apart from goods and services, knowledge and wisdom far and wide. Shipping
developed as a global industry long before any other industry could do so. The Dhows that traded in the
Indian Subcontinent nearly 5000 years back, the Chinese Junks which regularly travelled to the Indian
Sub‐continent, the famous Arab travelers who expanded their trade from China to the Red Sea and
Africa are just a few examples of how Globalization operated then.
The Global nature of shipping not only facilitated Trade and Commerce but also served as a vehicle for
the spread of technology and culture. A classic example of this is what the famous historian Mr K N
Chaudhuri terms as ‘technology exchange’ between the Europeans and the Arabs and Indians; while the
Europeans adopted the ‘Lateen Sail’ developed in the Middle East, the Arabs and Indians started using
‘nails’ in the construction of their ocean going boats, a practice adopted from the West.
If we carry the notion that the concept of ‘multi modalism’ is a by‐product of the containerization and
unitization and has taken roots in the last few decades, we need to take a relook at history. To cite a few
examples: There is ample evidence to show that over 1000 years back the goods which landed in the
present day Yemen were transshipped to Babylon and Mesopotamia through the inhospitable desert
not by ‘wheels’ but ‘four legged’ and ‘two legged’ modes of transport. In the Indian Sub Continent, the
‘hub’ port of Baruch was linked over land to the Ganga Basin in East Coast of India and through the
Deccan Plateau to the Kavery Basin in South India – hundreds of kilometers away.
2
3.0 Events that shaped Shipping in the recent Past
3.1 Major Historical Land marks
Some of the major landmarks in the olden times were the use of steel in ship building and the
introduction of steam engine for propulsion. These developments enabled the industry to free itself
from the shackles of the controls dictated by the vagaries of the weather. During the sailing days, every
voyage, long or short, was dictated by the wind – its direction and force. The use of motorized power in
the propulsion of ships resulted in overcoming the oddities of nature to a great extent and enabled
planning and execution of voyages independent of the weather.
3.2 Factors that introduced changes recently
Shipping as an industry, has under gone significant changes in the last 50 years. More emphasis is given
in this paper in analyzing the changes in the last few decades because it is these changes that point to
trends that will shape the future.
The factors that ushered in major changes in the shipping industry in the last few years are:
3.2.1 Industrialization
The impact of industrialization in shipping industry is huge. Industrialization brought in the need
for transporting huge quantities of raw materials and finished goods across the oceans. There
was – and is – no other mode of transport that could effectively tackle the challenges of
transporting such huge quantities of goods from one part of the world to another.
The need to transport a wide variety of goods also forced the industry to develop a portfolio of
ship types. The universal sailing ships gave way to specialized vessels such as tankers, bulk
carriers, Roro ships, gas carriers, and many more types of ships designed to carry specialized or
specific cargoes.
3.2.2 Globalization
Although shipping has always been a global industry for centuries, the factors attributed to the
term ‘globalization’ as used in modern times did bring in a different meaning to the shipping
industry. The manufacturing base shifted from the West to Asia resulting in large amounts of
raw material movement as well as finished and semi‐finished goods moving back to the West.
This, not only increased the volume of goods moved but also triggered the development of
ocean transport in the lesser developed countries in the form of better and more modern port
infrastructure, automated cargo handling, land based transport supporting ocean transport, etc.
The last decade and a half also saw the shift of shipbuilding industry to the East with Japan,
Korea and more predominantly China emerging as major shipbuilding centers. It is a well known
fact that the global steel making industry is now centered in Asia with China alone accounting
for nearly 50% of world steel production, a fact that continues to underline development of
3
ocean shipping considering the fact that steel making and related activities control shipping
markets world ‐wide.
3.2.3 Information Technology and Modern communication
Perhaps the most important single factor which has influenced the shipping industry in the
recent times is Information and communication technology. Like in every other sphere of
modern day life, the impact of computers in shipping industry is tremendous. Shipping is well
known for its slow adoption of technology. There may be many ship owners who are yet to start
using computers on board ships but most ship‐owners today have computers on board their
ships which are networked to the shore based ship managers and other agencies required for
the effective commercial as well as technical management of the ship.
A few years back, only with the physical presence of the ship owner or his agent in one of the
prominent shipping centers of the world could commercial shipping be practiced effectively.
Telex was the only reliable mode of communication but it was expensive, time consuming and
less versatile.
With the onset of digital communication, the scenario changed drastically. Voice communication
over long distances became reliable and efficient. Documents could be transmitted by facsimile.
Long messages with documents, pictures and video clippings could be transmitted using emails.
Messages to a number of recipients could be sent easily and at negligible cost. Mobile phones
and internet accessibility facilitated regular contact, even while the person is on the move.
Instant messenger on the Internet added to the flexibility by offering instant discussions using
internet protocol. Physical presence in any location was no longer vital.
These attributes of modern communication drastically changed the way shipping business was
practiced. Today multiple entities communicate among themselves or their clients from
different parts of the world using the same communication platform. Ships in high seas are also
included in this network for sharing information instantly.
3.2.4 De‐Centralization
The enormous developments in computing power and telecommunications in the recent years
has brought in the new business stream called ‘Outsourcing’ which results in competitive
advantage through lower costs, better service to customers and flexible organizational
structure. There may be drawbacks in adopting ‘outsourcing’ but going by the tremendous
growth in this sector; it appears that the drawbacks are effectively overcome. Shipping industry
which has been using outsourcing for decades in the form of Technical managers, ship‐
managers, crew managers etc has adapted itself to this new trend. Many processes are being re‐
engineered to more efficient methods by applying modern technological solutions
With the rapid advances in data processing and faster data flow in the last decade, information
exchange across the globe is becoming cheaper day by day. This fact combined with the high
reliability of information exchange is transforming business entities worldwide. Firms can now
4
choose to relocate or outsource to any corner of the world their non‐core processes leaving the
residue of critical and core business inside the firm. Outsourcing is slowly becoming more of a
competitive necessity than strategic planning.
The efficiency and reliability brought in by faster computing and data flow enables a modern day
organization to have its core business at the centre and a chain of knowledge sources, often
located in geographically distant locations, connected to it. They work with a common goal
through well laid out performance criteria achieved through a price mechanism which makes
the whole process competitive.
As in other sectors of the economy, Charterers, Forwarders, Ship‐owners and Liner operators
have developed newer methods of making ‘back‐office’ a tool to gain competitive edge. The
Liner sector is the one which has used ‘outsourcing’ as a business tool, the most among all the
sectors in the shipping industry.
3.2.5 Containerization and multi‐modalism
Containerization ushered in revolutionary changes in the movement of seaborne goods around
the world. Possibility of transporting very small units of cargo from one corner of the world to
another became a reality. The turnaround of the ships in ports improved drastically resulting in
more reliable sailing schedules. These factors eventually led to concept of zero‐inventory
management using ocean transport which was unthinkable during the break‐bulk era just a few
years back.
Containerization also enabled door‐to‐door service using multimodal transport. It became
possible even to use aircrafts in the chain of multiple modes of transport for transporting goods
with sea transport as the primary mode of transportation. ‘Land bridges’, ‘freight corridors’ and
such terms linking even cross‐border destinations became buzz words.
The cost of ocean transport, particularly for smaller lots of cargo reduced drastically with the
introduction of containerized movement of goods. There were additional benefits such as less
packaging, lesser pilferage and damages etc which made containerized movement of goods
popular in a very short span of time.
3.2.6 The Internet
The internet or the World Wide Web (WWW) is undoubtedly one of the key factors that shaped
the modern world – be it for the practice of business or social and cultural reasons. The internet
has transformed the world into a ‘global village’ by linking remote areas of the world into a
single network which operates day and night right round the year. The internet has become the
window to the world with access to an unimaginable amount of information. It also became the
platform to do business bringing offices or business partners sitting in different corners of the
world together, instantaneously.
5
Although the application of internet based technologies into shipping industry was rather slow,
we are now at a stage where the industry uses the virtues of internet. Online trading platforms
may not be as common or as prominent as in many other forms of business, but many segments
of the industry especially the Liner segment uses internet tremendously‐ from booking cargo to
tracking cargo, documentation, freight collection, equipment control, and so on and so forth.
Critics may argue that the adoption of internet based trading and business practices in shipping
is far slower when compared to many other businesses but it is a fact that the internet based
techniques and practices are re‐shaping the shipping industry at a pace that is unknown
hitherto. The application of satellite technology in the form of ‘Global Positioning System’
combined with Internet enables ships to be tracked on a real time basis at an affordable cost.
4.0 The Change Factors and their Influence
All the factors enlisted above have had their share of influence in modifying the practice of
shipping business in the last few decades. An attempt is made to analyse the impact of these
factors in the evolution of shipping industry. It can be seen that the business practices are
evolving at a faster pace than before by adopting new computing and communication tools.
Shipping, as an industry, is practiced globally across many segments such as bulk carriers,
tankers, Liners, short sea ferries, Roll on Roll off trade, cruise trade, etc. The method of the
practice of Liner shipping is not the same as that of short sea ferries or bulk carrier or tanker
chartering. Each segment of the industry has its own peculiarity with regional and local
variations as well.
4.1.0 The Dry Bulk Segment
With a view to understand how the factors listed above has influenced changes in the
commercial shipping, a close look at the practice of Dry Cargo Chartering is attempted below.
The dry cargo segment of the shipping market is taken as the test case due to the fact that it is
one of the least organized and the least standardized of all segments. There are a wide variety
of ships and cargoes and the parameters affecting each segment of the market are not the
same. The world's trading requirements in the dry sector are far more complex than in the liquid
cargo segment, and movements are dictated by the needs and the wants of the world economic
situation.
It is seen that the practice of dry cargo chartering has undergone significant changes in the last
few years. Some of the noticeable changes are:
6
4.1.1 Location
Chartering, in the past, was predominantly carried out in few major chartering centers such as
New York, London, Tokyo, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Singapore, Sydney, etc. Prominent charterers,
ship‐owners and brokers (the main practitioners in chartering business) had their offices in one
of these locations or had contacts with brokers located in the main chartering centers.
This practice is slowly but steadily transforming. Ship‐brokers, the intermediaries who undertake
marketing and sales function in chartering, are no longer required to be located in any specific
‘Chartering centre’. Where‐ever in the world they are located, the internet and modern
communication means link the practitioners to one another, instantaneously.
This has also resulted in some of the prominent shipbrokers, ship‐owners and ship‐operators
opening offices in different parts of the world, particularly emerging business centers such as
Shanghai, Mumbai, and Dubai, to name a few, thereby giving a ‘local flavor’ to their business.
The modern communication tools enable the organizations to have control and competence in
day to day business between various offices located worldwide.
4.1.2 The ‘Sales’ function in Chartering
With voice communication over long distance becoming reliable and efficient, telephonic
communication, both voice as well as text messaging, is being used more and more in
chartering. The virtues required for a Ship broker in the era of inexpensive and instant
communication are changing; with more and more verbal communication, certain level of
‘salesmanship’ is required. The broker has to use persuasive techniques and convince the parties
in arriving at a consensus for the contentious issues in a contract.
This often involves modifying the clauses of a contract many times so that the anxieties and
concerns of the parties concerned are addressed.
4.1.3 Modes of Communication
During the ‘telex era’, the practitioners in ship chartering were left with no other choice but
to depend primarily on Telex communication. With modern communication tools opening
up access to a variety of communication options: such as telephones both for voice as well
facsimiles , mobile phones for voice communication and text messaging, computer based
communication in the form of emails, Instant Messenger and telephony using Internet
Protocol and the more recent Blackberry and ‘Push Mails’. It is not uncommon to see
brokers, owners and charterers using many of these methods during the negotiation for the
same contract. As a result it has become difficult for the practitioners to follow continuity in
7
a negotiation. This calls for more disciplined practices by the practitioners in communicating
with each other.
4.1.4 Exchange of Information
Telex, the most reliable form of long distance communication till a few years back, was
expensive forcing the practitioners to adopt abbreviations for commonly used terminologies
( SHINC – for Sundays Holidays Included, MOLOO for More or Less Owners Option and so
goes the list). The offers and ensuing negotiation used to be short using standards and
abbreviations to the maximum extent.
With the onset of digital communication, the scenario has changed drastically. Documents
could be transmitted by facsimile. Long messages with attachments of documents, pictures
and video clippings could be transmitted using emails. Mobile phones and internet
accessibility facilitated regular contact, even while the person is on the move. Instant
messenger on the Internet added to the flexibility by offering instant discussions using
internet protocol.
It is noticed that the modern inexpensive communication methods which are capable of
transferring mass data instantaneously has given opportunity for the practitioners to
transmit large amounts of data, wanted and unwanted, to everyone in the communication
chain, whether required or not. At times some of these communications during a charter
negotiation end up with the Master of the ship as almost all ships are now capable of
communicating using emails. An analysis of such communication shows that involving the
Master of the ship in such communication only adds to additional and unwanted burden, a
not so desirable trend. The practitioners of chartering business should seriously look at
optimizing data flow during chartering process not only with the ship but also between the
practitioners.
4.1.5 Initiating Charter Process
During the Telex days, each ship ‐owner or charterer, had contacts with either their
exclusive shipbroker or a few shipbrokers. The shipbrokers in turn had regular contacts with
a few other shipbrokers or contacts located in the main chartering centers. As soon as a
prospective business emerged, either a ship looking for employment or a cargo looking for
suitable ship to carry it to its destination, the brief details of the business was circulated
among the few close contacts.
The unaffordable cost of communication earlier had limited the number of contacts with
whom ship‐brokers communicated. Usual communication was only with a few important
contacts. With inexpensive and versatile modern communication, the situation reversed.
8
Messages to a number of recipients could be sent easily and at negligible cost. These days,
shipbrokers transmit their positions for ship and cargoes to hundreds of contacts;
sometimes more than once a week or even daily. As a result we can see a deluge of email
messages hitting the communication system day in and day out.
The email system is posing a challenge to the ship broking community in terms of
authenticity of the contact through whom negotiations are carried out. When telex was the
primary mode of communication ‘answer back’ was an authentication of the party
contacted. But in case of emails, unless it is a regular contact, the contacted party’s
authenticity is not clearly established.
4.1.6 The Charter process
When the initial details of a prospective business emerge; a cargo order for a ship‐owner or
a matching ship position for a charterer, the initial response, most likely an offer, goes out.
The owner who has the ship or the charterer who has the cargo, evaluates the available
options, gives authority to their broker to negotiate. A brief negotiation process takes place
which eventually leads to the fixture. Once the main terms (brief details) of the business is
finalized, the ship owner and the charterer discusses on the changes required in a standard
charterparty – the contract of carriage available for the particular trade. More often than
not, the practitioners try to minimize the changes in the standard contracts with a view to
save costs.
In contrast to the above process, modern day dry cargo chartering is quite different. When a
prospective business emerges, in a flash of a second, it reaches hundreds of recipients all
over the world. Details of the business are repeated again and again by the brokers.
Once negotiation starts, unlike in the past when the offer and ensuing negotiations used to
be short and quick, the modern day offers are long and detailed in nature. Negotiations
often take much longer than in the past. There is also a tendency to negotiate contracts
much more in detail. The most disturbing trend is for the practitioners to overlook the time
tested clauses and draft their own clauses, which at times, are grammatically incorrect and
may even convey a meaning quite different from the one intended.
While, in the past, shipbrokers worked on the basis of authority given to them by their
principals, the modern communication systems provide the leverage of getting decisions
from the principals at all stages of negotiation. Be it day or night; whether at sea or while in
an aircraft – contact can be maintained. Therefore, instead of working on the basis of
authority, shipbrokers now get orders from their principals from time to time.
In the olden days contacts were generally between owners and brokers or charterers and
brokers. There was not much of contact between charterers and owners directly. Ease of
9
modern communication has changed the scenario‐ very often we see now charterers and
owners being in direct contact.
4.1.7 Market Information
The charter market is not only dependent on the demand and supply of ships but a variety
of other factors. With modern technology, information on the parameters which affect the
shipping market gets transmitted far and wide in seconds. Every new business spreads like
wild fire – and the perception of the owners and charterers change with every new business
they see. Multitude of other factors; economic, political, financial, government policies, and
every other bits and pieces of information is analyzed in detail and its impact on the market
ascertained. The down side of it all is that unsubstantiated rumors can vitiate decision
making. The ultra sensitive brokers may read too much into a happening and may change
their decisions. Just like share markets, “sentiment” may affect the rates.
4.1.8 Multi‐modalism and End – To End Logistics
There is a growing trend among charterers to demand end‐to‐end logistics solutions. This rather
new concept is more prevalent in break bulk trade but is also being seen in bulk trades. The new
breed of ‘forwarders’, ‘logistics providers’, ‘3‐pl service providers and the likes are all too eager
to work out end‐to‐end logistics solutions.
Along with this is a growing trend to containerize cargoes which were traditionally meant for
bulk ships. Traditional bulk cargoes such as bulk ores, bulk scrap and the likes have been
containerized and moved in large quantities, something which was unthinkable few years back.
Specialized containers, innovative handling techniques and use of special equipments are few
reasons for the rapid progress of this new trend.
4.1.9 Outsourcing in Chartering
The concept of ‘outsourcing’ is not new to shipping. However, in modern times this is assuming
new meanings. The requirement for end‐to‐end logistics, the urge to reduce costs and improve
efficiency among users of shipping is leading the trend for outsourcing. Forwarders are
increasingly taking the role of ‘charterer’.
Some charterers are also using ‘operators’ for their ocean transport requirements. The
‘operator’ operates the ship on ‘time charter’ basis for their exclusive voyage charterer thereby
optimizing ocean freight. There is also a tendency among charterers to share the cost of ‘time
charter operation’ with an objective to reduce freight costs.
10
5.0 Conclusion
There is no doubt that modern communication and computing techniques have brought
about sea change in chartering business but a cursory comparison with other industries on
the adoption of modern technology shows that the chartering business has its own
peculiarities.
While internet based trading platforms are very common and successful in many a business
and B2B business platforms are the buzz words, in ship chartering, this has not yet been
established. Trading platforms aimed at facilitating chartering and promoted by groups of
leading owners, charterers and shipbrokers have not succeeded. Chartering, as practiced for
centuries, is a very personalized business. This perhaps is the main reason for the failure of
the internet based ship chartering. It is unlikely that this trend will change in the near future.
A closer look into the practice of chartering business shows that adoption of modern
communication and computing techniques in chartering negotiations is there to stay.
However it is to be noted that the business processes adopted by the practitioners are
complicated and cumbersome when compared to the methods during the ‘telex era’. There
has no concerted attempt to standardize the business practices to bring them in tune with
modern communication and computing tools. It is quite likely that the practitioners will
soon realize the need to modify their work methods to bring about optimization and better
efficiency in their day to day work.
References
1) Himanshu Prabha Ray ‐Western Indian Ocean and Early Maritime Links of the Indian Sub
continent
2) K.N Chaudhuri Trade & Civilization in the Indian Ocean
3) Krishna Prasad ‐Changing Role of Shipbrokers‐ A study of the impact of modern
communication in practical ship‐broking – ; Digital Ship
4) Krishna Prasad ‐ Business Process Outsourcing ‐ A shipping industry perspective‐ ; Institute
of Chartered Shipbrokers – BIMCO Conference proceedings
5) L Gorton, R Hire and Sandevarn; Ship‐broking and Chartering Practice 5th edition, LLP
6) N Pisanias and L Willcocks Understanding slow internet adoption: ‘ infomediation in ship‐
broking markets’ – Journal of Information Technology (1999) 14
7) Ranbir Chakravarty Coastal trade & Voyages in the Konkan: The Early Medieval Scenario
11