| HOW WE CHARTER A SHIP
A simple client guide for | Voyage | Time Charter | Bareboat | COA Guideline for 2026 |
One clear sequence. Six short forms. No hidden steps. This is the only process Ametheus follows when you ask us to find and fix a vessel.
What this guide covers
We source the ship, negotiate terms, and stay on the file until the voyage is finished or the ship is redelivered.
Voyage charter — one trip, known ports and cargo
Time charter — period (months/years) or one defined trip
Bareboat / demise — you crew and operate as if owner
Contract of Affreightment (COA) — agreed volume; ship named later
Typical time for a spot voyage: 3–10 working days after papers are complete. Period, bareboat and COA take longer. Dates are targets, not warranties.
The 6 papers — do them in this order
Do not skip a form. Form 04 is used only for bareboat. Everything else uses Form 03.
- Form 01 — Preliminary Information Sheet. First snapshot: who you are, ship size, cargo or employment, ports, dates. Send this instead of a long free-text email.
- Form 02 — NCNDA. Standing confidentiality and non-circumvention. Non-exclusive. We do not name owners or vessels before this is signed.
- Form 03 — RFQ (or Form 04 if bareboat). Full requirement: charter type, size, class, cargo, ports, rate idea, preferred charter-party form.
- Form 05 — KYC of Charterer. Company papers. Done once a year, not on every fixture. Must be on file before a firm offer is released.
- Form 06 — Pre-Fixture Questionnaire (SPFQ). Used when a shortlist exists and you are ready to fix. Proof of funds sits here — not at first enquiry.
| Rule. We do not go to the market with a firm approach until Forms 01 → 02 → 03/04 → 05 are on file. Form 06 comes just before fixture. Incomplete files wait — that is deliberate. |
The process in 8 plain steps
- You send Form 01. Email [email protected] and [email protected]. We acknowledge the same working day.
- You sign Form 02 (NCNDA). Open, standing, non-exclusive. Protects introductions. Not a monopoly on any ship.
- You file Form 03 (or 04) and Form 05 KYC. We give the file an RFQ number. Quote that number on every later paper.
- We screen the market. Unsuitable, sanctioned or poorly vetted ships are dropped before you see them.
- You receive a shortlist. Name or “TBN + description”, position, indication, dates, main qualifications. Indications are not a firm offer.
- You file Form 06 and proof of funds. We verify POF. Cargo allocation paper only if the fixture is cargo-driven.
- We negotiate and issue a recap. Nothing is binding until both sides accept the recap in writing. Then vessel papers (Q88, class, P&I, SIRE / RightShip) are checked.
- Subjects lifted → payment as agreed → Charter Party → operations. First money is due only after subjects are lifted. We stay on the file through surveys, loading or delivery, demurrage or hire statements, and close-out.
Which charter type?
| Type | Use when | Who pays what |
| Voyage | One lifting, known ports and cargo | You pay freight (+ demurrage if late). Owner runs the ship. |
| Time charter (period) | Months or years of commercial control | You pay hire and bunkers. Owner pays crew, insurance, upkeep. |
| Time charter trip | One defined trip on time-charter terms | Same cost split as period time charter. |
| Bareboat | You want to crew and operate as if owner | You bear almost all running cost. Owner remains registered owner. |
| COA | Agreed volume over a period; ship named later | Freight per lifting under a framework agreement. |
More detail on the website: ametheus.com/chartering · tanker-chartering · types-of-charter-party-agreements
What we fix
Crude / dirty tankers — Aframax, Suezmax, VLCC
Clean product tankers — Handy, MR, LR1, LR2
Gas — LPG (MGC to VLGC), LNG, ammonia
Special / coastal — shuttle, STS, barges
Dry bulk — Handy to Capesize: grains, meals, fertiliser, ore, coal
Rules we do not bend
No owner names or working positions before Form 02 is signed.
No reservation fee, hire or freight before the recap is agreed and vessel checks pass.
No sanctioned ships, trades, countries or counterparties.
One file number for every enquiry. Quote it on every paper.
A recap “on subjects” is not a fixture until subjects are lifted in writing.
No extra “facilitation” fees outside what is written in the recap and Charter Party.
Have these ready
Forms 01, 02, 03/04 and 05 before we campaign the market
Form 06 plus proof of funds when you want to fix a named or TBN ship
Authority of the person who will confirm the recap and sign the Charter Party
If you act for a principal: a signed mandate, and authority for us to name the principal to owners
Your vetting standard (SIRE, RightShip, CDI, oil-major) and preferred charter-party form
How to reach the desk
Ametheus Holdings Pvt Ltd
Mumbai: WeWork / Vaswani Chambers, 264–265 Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai 400025
Email: [email protected] | [email protected]
Web: www.ametheus.com/chartering
Calls: 09:00–19:00 IST. Do not call after 19:00 | WhatsApp text: until 22:00 IST.
Email: send at any hour. Replies during working hours.
Forms (use in order):
01 ametheus.com/preliminary-information-sheet-chartering-01/
02 ametheus.com/ncnda-for-charterer-or-broker-02/
03 ametheus.com/rfq-form-for-vessel-charterer-03/
04 ametheus.com/bareboat-charter-rfq-form-04/ (bareboat only)
05 ametheus.com/kyc-of-charterer-05/
06 ametheus.com/standard-pre-fixture-questionnaire-spfq-06/
| Important notes
This page is a client guide only. It is not a Charter Party, a mandate or an offer of tonnage. The signed NCNDA, the fixture recap and the executed Charter Party govern if wording differs. Tonnage is subject to availability, class, vetting, insurance and sanctions. We do not accept sanctioned vessels, trades, countries or counterparties. Commission, exclusivity and governing law are agreed in the NCNDA and on each fixture. |
