DRY BULK CARGO SHIP CHARTERING SERVICES

Lighthouse Shipping provides ship chartering services for both domestic and international vessels. Our team has extensive specialty knowledge and expertise in the movement of dry bulk shipping cargoes including: gypsum, aggregates, steel products, copper slag, cement and bulk minerals. (Note: We do not handle the shipping of personal effects.)

Our company is well known and respected in the shipping industry and has longstanding relationships with charterers and ship owners worldwide. Our brokers work diligently on behalf of our clients to canvass the marketplace to find the appropriate shipping vessel. Lighthouse Shipping's goal is to keep your dry bulk shipping transportation costs low and to ensure that there are no delays that could lead to extra charges. We will also provide innovative shipping logistics solutions, for example, helping to solve a client's transportation requirements by utilizing an extensive barging system, benefiting shipping brokerage clients timelines and bottom line.

When assessing the type of shipping charter that will be right for you, we typically cover the following assessment topics with you:

• Type of Cargo
• Total Cargo Tonnage (dead weight)
• Load (Pickup) and Discharge (Delivery) locations
• Whether your shipment will be Domestic or International
• When the shipment needs to take place

Once the above has been established, we will determine which vessel type is right for you, and then arrange for the specific ship and Charter Party contract that will dictate the terms of your shipping arrangement.

Bulk flowable cargoes, such as aggregates, copper slag and bulk gypsum can be loaded onto belt self-unloading vessels. This type of vessel provides a fast, efficient and environmentally responsible method of discharging the dry bulk cargo either directly onto the dock or onto a barge alongside the vessel.

For breakbulk commodities such as steel coil, gypsum wallboard, newsprint and general & specialized cargoes, Lighthouse Shipping has experience loading and discharging cargoes from a variety of shipping vessels (handymax, panamax, side port, tweendeckers, heavy lift) which are fitted with cranes, grabs, elevators and other specialized equipment.

Below you will find descriptions of our most commonly chartered vessel types:

HANDYSIZE VESSELS

Handysize Vessels make up the bulk of the world's ocean-going cargo fleet. They are generally capable of handling shipments between 25,000 and 35,000 dwt (dead weight tonnes). These vessels are more maneuverable and have shallower draft than larger vessels and can access a wider variety of port scenarios. Most Handysize ships are 'geared' - i.e. fitted with cranes - allowing them to load and discharge cargoes at ports which lack cranes or other cargo handling systems. Compared to larger dry bulk shipping carriers these vessels also carry a wider variety of cargo types.

HANDYMAX VESSELS

Handymax Vessels are larger versions of the popular Handysize Vessels, capable of carrying approximately 37,000 to 52,000 dwt (dead weight tonnes) of dry bulk cargo. A typical Handymax ship will be outfitted with five dry bulk cargo holds, and up to four cranes with 30 metric ton lifting capacity for cargo self-load/unload operations in suitable ports. These ships are typically available for both domestic and international ship brokerage.

PANAMAX VESSELS

Panamax Vessels are very large ocean going vessels that are designed to take advantage of the maximum vessel capacity of the Panama Canal. They ships can typically carry between 55,000 and 85,000 dwt (dead weight tonnes) and are the shipping vessles of choice for many dry bulk shipping cargoes such as grain or minerals. These are the largest vessels that Lighthouse Shipping typically providers shipping brokerage for.

For more information about dry bulk shipping please check out Wikipedia.