A: How to Distinguish Breakbulk Ships + Heavy-Lift Ships
NO.1 Breakbulk Ship Transport Services:
Various Materials: Coiled steel, rebar, flat steel, steel plates, seamless steel pipes, wire rods, special-shaped steel, oil pipelines, timber, etc.;
Machinery & Equipment: Construction machinery/equipment, oversized machinery/equipment, boilers, distillation kettles, presses, dryers, prefabricated houses, etc.;
Vehicles: Semi-trailers, cement mixers, engineering vehicles, flatbed trucks, excavators, road rollers, bulldozers, loaders, pavers, buses, sedans, SUVs, container trucks, tow trucks, dump trucks, cranes, large tanker trucks, liquid tankers, cleaning trucks, sprinkler trucks, etc.;
Raw Materials: Coal, ore, cement, crude oil, grain, sand, soil, etc.;
NO.2 Heavy-Lift Ship Transport Services:
Transporting extra-long, extra-wide, and extra-high cargo; for example, large complete sets of equipment, major project components, lifting equipment, heavy machinery, etc.;
B: Breakbulk Shipment Charter Terms
FLT: FULL LINER TERM (Shipowner responsible for loading and discharging)
Also known as the Liner Term. The shipowner is responsible for loading and discharging. Generally, under an FLT contract, besides the cost of shore cranes, the costs for lashing, trimming, and dunnage are also borne by the shipowner. This term is commonly used for equipment and vehicle shipments.
FILO: FREE IN LINER OUT (Shipowner responsible only for discharging, not loading)
Also known as the Outturn or Hold Term. Under this term, the shipowner is only responsible for receiving the cargo in the holds at the loading port; the loading costs are borne by the charterer, while costs incurred at the discharging port are borne by the shipowner. This term is commonly used for steel products and bulk-in-bag (ton bag) cargoes.
LIFO: LINER IN FREE OUT (Shipowner responsible only for loading, not discharging)
According to this term, the shipowner pays for loading costs at the loading port, but at the discharging port is only responsible for delivering the cargo from the holds; the discharging costs are borne by the charterer. The ocean freight includes loading costs at the port of loading but excludes discharging costs at the port of discharge.
FIO: FREE IN AND OUT (Shipowner responsible for neither loading nor discharging)
Under this term, it is purely the ocean freight, not including loading and discharging costs. This term is generally applicable for signing contracts concerning bulk cargoes.