I became aware of another shiptrading platform last night. This one is also linked to charity - so that every fixture done a percentage of brokerage is donnated to charity. Love the premise wish them the best of luck.
Still these guys are faced with a major hurdle. If I am a broker why would I want to advertise my clients open positions on a website that competitors can see? I will ring their client direct, they will be easy to find!
Most brokers these days do not speak to other brokers. Good brokers will endevour to be direct to both the shipowner and the cargo owner.
Good brokers do not circulate open cargo and open ship positions to everyone - especially voyage cargoes. TC is a little different.
Again I must reiterate that i think the biggest problem these websites face is that they dont understand the clientel. The premise of the websites is that shipbroking is purely about 'matchmaking' and hence the software they provide is 'invaluable'. Well not really because although matching ships to cargo is the final outcome - getting there is full of salesmanship, secrecy and bravado. And this is on the part of the client (shipowner and charterer) not just the broker.
I am sure there is scope for webbased services but sofar all of these platforms miss the mark IMHO.
Yours
VS
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