Whats shipbroking about then?

As readers of the blog will know I run a consultancy business for anyone wanting highly confidential, expertise when fixing deals. And i Don't mean my real work (what I do for a living) I mean a Virtual Shipbroker Consultancy Business.

Virtual Shipbroker Consultancy click here

The great news is that a handful of really smart people have taken me up on the consultancy offer and are kicking huge goals.

Had two on line today with two different problems which really goes to the heart of what makes a great broker.

Both have problems. Both cannot get owners to offer for various reasons. One client has an owner who is aggressive on rates for a substantial coa (contract of affreightment) but on checking with agents see's that charterers have issues with surveyors and ships being rejected because of hold cleanliness issues. The other client cannot seem to bridge the gap of USD 2.00 between charterers ideas and the best offers he has from owners....

Guess what people - Welcome to shipbroking!

If it were easy everyone would do it. The best shipbrokers love "problems" because problems need to be solved and a shipbroker worth his commission can now ply his / her trade.

What is needed?

Good communication between all parties.

I often see fixtures fall apart because Principal A doesn't really understand what Principal B is doing - or why there is hesitation. Often the broker in between has no idea either. So a good brokers see a problem, get to the bottom of understanding the problem, and with the right "touch" find solutions which eventuate in a FIXTURE.

If someone doesn't see a problem, let alone understand how this problem can be solved - well.... they get nowhere.

This is where having me as a consultant comes in. I help see problems before they arise, help solve them, help make you money, help teach you in the process...

WIN / WIN....

Hire me! ha...

Cheers
VS

I haven't done a zen posting for a while

In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time.. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . ..

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

Enjoy life NOW .. it has an expiration date

The Virtual Shipbroker

My email was spammed

Sorry to any/all of you that received an email from me with spam...its a virus and i picked it up quickly so hopefully no more to come...

vs

technical problems

Quite a few of you, lncluding myself, are having issues posting on the blog.

I think blogger are having some technical issues which hopefully be fixed soon.

cheers
vs

Spoofing

One of my students has asked the following

qte

VS

What do you think abt spoofing? Ofc i do not spoof. I often catch out other brokers spoofing or that indicate without authority.

My close principals and i realize very quiclkly when this happens.

What do you do in this case, do you communicate to the other principle?

Thank you in advance

qte

Anyone care to offer a definition of spoofing and give this person some advice. Its a great question and deserves some discussion

cheers
The virtual shipbroker (tackling the questions others fear to answer)

The VS certificate rolls on

The great news is that none of the current students have decided to drop out after the two week grace period and by all accounts are enjoying the program alot.

So who are the current students? People always want more info.....to satisfy curiosity...which is cool.

Can't tell you specifics but can say this

• 8 in number
• 7 males
• 1 female (first one wahooooo)
• 1 of the 8 has elected to do the course anonymously
• 2 from chartering companies
• 6 from brokers (including 3 of the big 6)
• 2 from South Korea/Japan
• 1 from Australia / NZ
• 4 from Europe
• 1 from South America
• All pioneers with a entrepreneurial spirit
• All with varying degrees of knowledge and experience

As i have said to the students. Kudos to them - It takes some courage to hand over close to USD 1,000 to an anonymous blogger. It is entirely possible I could take the money and run never to be heard of again. Highly unlikely though and these guys are smart enuf to understand risk vs reward. Not only is this the cheapest, most hands on course in chartering and shipbroking, you also make amazing contacts which is worth the price of admission alone.

Next intake wont be until well into 2012....incase you missed out this time.

Cheers
VS

Answer to the question on previous post - can a shipowners cancel?

Once again thanks for the great question and thank you to the many contributors who pretty much answered the question perfectly.

Note that im not a lawyer and without knowing the exact circumstances and charterparty clauses.

I do however offer the general opinion that -  a shipowner cannot cancel a contract under these circumstances but fortulately is protected by way of demurage / detention clauses (in the cp).

Legally speaking demurrage or detention constitutes DAMAGES awarded against a charterer for taking longer than stipulated to load or discharge a ship.

The question of whether the damages fall under 'demurrage" or "detention" probably depends on the circumstances and also on the cp.

There is a great lesson here for shipowners. This is a story about delays but it is also a story about sound ship trading practice.

Although a shipowner cannot be expected to premeditate every move in the market, a shipowner / ship operator when fixing a cargo with say a laycan 3 weeks away needs to consider many things

1. The current voyage he is undertaking and the likelihood for delays

2. The charterparties for both the current and next voyage and whether there is flexibility or even scope to cancel the contract. What kind of laycan cancelling clause have you used is another example of smart cp negotiations skills that can help you before a problem arises.

3. Current market conditions......if the market is about to explode best to fix a cargo that you are certain will run smoothly and quickly so you are set to take advantage of the next opportunity

To name a few..........

If the market were to drop (instead of rise during the voyage period) the shipower would be very happy with any delays locking in a damages claim at higher than current market levels. So it goes both ways.

In a game of poker - sometime you win, sometimes you lose. Advice to the shipowner is "limit the damage and move on"!

cheers
VS

A great question - can a shipowner withdraw a ship if cargo is late?

From a reader

qte

Can shipowner cancel the contract or witraw from it if the delay is caused by the charterer (for example: the goods intended for loading are not ready)? The delay prolonged the time beyond stipulated laycan, and the shipowner has next contracted laycan for another charterer so he should cancel this C/P to acheve the next one.

If this is the case, does the shipowner has a right to charge the charter the deadfreight or some kind of compensation for losing time due to chartere's delay?

Thanks in advance.

unqte

Anyone help this person out???

Free beer for any right answer..