Where your cargo meets the right vessel.
The right cargo. The right vessel. The right connection.
Independent chartering and vessel-matching services for Mediterranean and Black Sea cargo movements. We connect cargo owners, traders and vessel operators, with a focus on smaller parcels and smaller ships.
Every vessel and counterparty we propose is checked against international sanctions lists, registry, class and insurance records first. You receive the screening summary with the proposal.
How we screen →Every enquiry gets a first response from the desk within 24 hours: options, the questions we need answered, or an honest no.
Small parcels and small ships are our core business, not an afterthought on a large broker's desk.
A person, not a platform
Software can match a list of ships to a list of cargoes. We check who is behind them, make the awkward parcels work, and stay with the fixture until the cargo is discharged.
Why work with our desk →Two ways to ship smarter
Built for the parcels and voyages others pass over
Part-cargo pooling
Too little cargo to fill a ship? We bring compatible parcels from different shippers on the same route together on one voyage, so each pays only for its share.
How pooling works →Ballast-leg capacity
Ships about to sail empty after discharge. Owners accept lower freight to avoid a ballast voyage, so cargo on those legs often moves for less.
See open capacity →What we handle
Dry cargoes in parcels the big desks overlook
Small Vessel Chartering Desk
Matched to size. We focus on matching smaller cargo parcels with appropriately sized general-cargo and multipurpose vessels.
Indicative segment. The range is a target, subject to cargo, vessel suitability and trading requirements. Ask us about anything near the edges.
How a fixture comes together
From your enquiry to a confirmed fixture
- You find usCargo owners, traders, operators and brokers
- Cargo enquiriesCargo, quantity, route, dates
- Vessel positionsDWT, position, availability
- Our chartering deskMatches requirements, negotiates and coordinates
- FixtureTerms agreed and confirmed directly between the parties
Our trading focus
Mediterranean · Adriatic · Aegean · Black Sea · Eastern Mediterranean
Every enquiry is reviewed by our chartering desk. We will respond directly to discuss suitable options.
About the desk
Platforms match listings. We take responsibility for the fixture.
Online marketplaces and email tools now match ships to cargoes automatically. That is useful, and we use them too. What they can't do is vouch for the people on the other side, rework a difficult parcel until it fits a ship, or pick up the phone when something goes wrong at the load port. That is the job of our desk.
Before we put a ship or a cargo in front of you, we check the vessel, its owner and manager, the charterer and the cargo route against international sanctions lists, plus flag, class, insurance and inspection records. You see the result, in writing, before you decide.
How we screen →Three hundred tonnes of bagged fertilizer, an odd-sized project unit, a cargo that needs a geared ship into a small port. These are the enquiries larger desks and automated tools pass over. We work them, including by pooling compatible parcels from several shippers into one voyage.
Part-cargo pooling →The broker who answers your enquiry is the one who negotiates the terms, checks the recap and follows the voyage through loading, sailing and discharge. You always know who to call, and they already know your cargo.
Talk to the desk →The difference in practice
A matching platform and our desk, side by side
| Matching platform | Our desk | |
|---|---|---|
| Finds ships for a cargo | Yes, from listed positions | Yes, from listings, owners we know and ships about to ballast |
| Sanctions and counterparty checks | Left to you | Done before every introduction, with a written summary |
| Small or odd parcels | Often no match | Our core business, including pooled part cargoes |
| Negotiation | You negotiate directly | We negotiate main terms on your behalf |
| After the fixture | Ends at the match | We follow loading, sailing and discharge with you |
| Who answers | A support inbox | Your broker, within 24 hours |
Who runs the desk
The desk is led by Louay Mansour, who brings more than 20 years of compliance and governance work across the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. That background shapes how we work: we check before we introduce, we put terms in writing, and we tell you plainly when something doesn't add up.
Languages
We work in English, Arabic, French, Greek, Turkish and Russian, so you can deal with us in the language your team uses with owners, shippers and agents across the region.
For cargo owners, traders and freight buyers
Tonnage for parcels that don't fill a Handysize
A 1,800-tonne parcel of steel or 3,000 tonnes of bagged fertilizer rarely gets attention on a large broker's desk. It is the core of ours.
What we do for you
- Source suitable general-cargo, multipurpose and coaster tonnage for your route and laycan
- Check vessel suitability against the cargo: hold type, gear, tank top, trading limits
- Collect and compare freight indications from owners and operators
- Negotiate main terms on your behalf and coordinate through to fixture
- Pool your parcel with other shippers' cargo when it is too small to fill a ship alone
- Offer you capacity on ballast legs, where owners accept lower freight
What to send us
- Commodity, quantity and packaging (bulk, bags, pallets, steel)
- Load and discharge ports
- Laycan: earliest and latest loading dates
- Any special vessel requirements
Partial details are fine for a first indication. We'll ask for what's missing.
For shipowners and operators
Employment for your open position
Tell us where your vessel opens and when. We work cargo parcels sized for 500–8,000 DWT tonnage, with a core focus on 1,000–5,000 DWT, across the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
What we do for you
- Match your open position against live cargo enquiries on our desk
- Propose suitable cargoes for the next voyage and the one after
- Present firm cargo details and charterer information before you commit
- Coordinate between charterer, shippers and agents through to fixture
- Find cargo for legs you would otherwise sail in ballast, listed anonymously with your approval
- Build full cargoes from several smaller parcels on the same route
What to send us
- Vessel name, IMO number, DWT and type
- Hold and hatch particulars, gear and crane capacity
- Current position, next open port and date
- Trading limits
Your position is used only to look for employment. We do not publish it.
Our markets
Five short-sea basins, one desk
Port codes are example UN/LOCODEs for typical load and discharge ports in each area.
Western Mediterranean
ESVLC · ESCAR · ITGOA · MACASSteel, construction materials and agricultural cargoes between Iberia, Italy and North Africa.
Adriatic
ITVCE · ITRAN · HRRJK · SIKOP · ALDRZShort coastal hauls, steel products and bagged cargo into Balkan ports.
Aegean
GRPIR · GRTHE · GRVOL · TRALI · TRIZMDense island and coastal trade; ideal for smaller multipurpose tonnage.
Black Sea
ROCND · BGVAR · BGBOJ · GEPTI · TRSAMFertilizers, grains and minerals out of western and southern Black Sea ports.
Eastern Mediterranean
TRMER · TRISK · CYLMS · EGALY · LBBEYConstruction materials and general cargo for the Levant and Egypt.
Trades to or from any area are always subject to applicable sanctions, war-risk and trading-limit checks.
Market intelligence
Short-sea notes from the desk
A weekly brief on small-vessel freight, tonnage supply, risk and fuel across our trading area, consolidated from publicly available market reports and summarised by our desk. Published every Monday.
Public indices cover Handysize (about 28,000–40,000 DWT) and larger ships. There is no free public index for 500–8,000 DWT tonnage, so we use those indices and coaster-market commentary as indicators of direction. Figures are as reported by the cited source. This is general commentary, not a freight offer or indication for any specific cargo or vessel.
Desk notes will appear here as they are published.
Publish a desk note · visible only to you
Part-cargo pooling
Ship 300 tonnes like a full cargo
A parcel of a few hundred tonnes is too small to fix a ship on its own, so shippers either overpay for empty space or wait weeks. We bring together compatible parcels from different shippers moving the same way, and place them with a ship operator, or a lead shipper, who charters the vessel and carries the voyage. Each shipper books and pays only for its own share.
How it works
From your parcel to a shared voyage
- Send your parcelCommodity, tonnes, packaging, ports and loading window. Choose "Part cargo" on the form.
- We find matchesOther parcels on the same or a nearby route that can safely share a ship with yours.
- We place the parcelsWith an operator or lead shipper who charters a ship sized for the combined cargo and holds the contract with the owner.
- You book your shareYour freight, laycan and ports, in your own written terms, with a firm deadline to confirm.
- We stay with the voyageWe keep every shipper informed through loading, sailing and discharge.
Cargoes that pool well
- Bagged fertilizer, cement and minerals
- Steel products: coils, rebar, beams, plates
- Palletised and general cargo
- Project units that need deck or hold space next to other cargo
We check compatibility before matching: contamination, stowage, weight distribution and dangerous-goods rules.
How costs are shared
Freight is split by each shipper's share of the cargo, normally by weight or by space used, whichever the vessel is limited by. Port and handling costs at a shipper's own load or discharge port are that shipper's. Every shipper sees its own terms in writing before booking, including how delay costs are shared if a parcel is late.
Who you contract with
The ship operator or lead shipper charters the vessel and is responsible for the voyage. You book your space with them on written terms that we negotiate and check for you. We act as broker throughout; we do not charter the ship ourselves.
Ballast-leg capacity
Capacity on ships about to sail empty
After discharge, small ships often have to reposition empty. Owners would rather carry something at a lower rate than earn nothing, so cargo on these legs can move for less. Listings are anonymous: no ship names, only the area, timing and size.
Open capacity
Upcoming ballast legs appear here once owners approve a listing. To ask about capacity on a specific route now, send a cargo enquiry.
Listings are indicative and anonymised, published only with the owner's approval. Availability and freight depend on the owner's confirmation.
Add a ballast-leg listing · visible only to you
Only list what the owner has approved. Do not include the ship's name, IMO or the owner.
Compliance-first chartering
We check before we introduce
Small ships in the Mediterranean and Black Sea change owners, managers and flags often, and many trade close to sanctioned areas. One fixture with the wrong ship or counterparty can freeze a payment, void insurance or breach sanctions. So every proposal from our desk comes screened.
What we check on a vessel
- The ship, registered owner, manager and ISM company against UN, EU, UK and US OFAC sanctions lists
- Flag and recent flag changes
- Classification society and class status
- P&I insurance cover and the club providing it
- Port state control inspections and detentions
- Gaps in the ship's AIS position signal and calls at high-risk ports
- Exposure to the Black Sea war-risk listed area on the proposed voyage
What we check on a cargo party
- The company and its beneficial owners against the same sanctions lists
- Company registration and trading history
- Origin and destination of the cargo against current sanctions and export controls
- Payment route and banks involved
When we check
Before we introduce a ship or cargo to you, and again before main terms are agreed if the details change.
What you receive
A screening summary with every proposal
A one-page result for each vessel or counterparty we propose. Below is an example only; the ship and figures are invented.
| Sanctions: ship, owner, manager | Clear | No match on UN, EU, UK or OFAC lists |
| Flag | Clear | Same flag for over 5 years |
| Class | Clear | IACS member society, class in force |
| P&I insurance | Clear | Entered with an International Group club |
| Port state control | Check | 1 detention in last 36 months; deficiencies since closed |
| AIS signal | Clear | No unexplained gaps in last 12 months |
| Voyage war-risk exposure | Check | Route crosses Black Sea listed area; additional premium likely |
Result: suitable to propose. Points marked "Check" are explained to you before you decide.
Sources we use
Official sanctions lists published by the UN Security Council, the EU, the UK and the US Treasury (OFAC); Equasis for flag, class, insurance and inspection records; consolidated sanctions databases; and commercial ship-tracking and ownership data.
What screening is and isn't
A screening summary records what the named sources showed on the date shown. It reduces risk; it does not guarantee that a party or voyage is compliant, and it does not replace your own due diligence. See clause 4.3 of our Terms of Business.
Our Terms of Business are published in English, which is the binding version. If you have a question about them, write to the desk in your language.
Legal
Terms of Business and Website Use
These terms govern how we work with cargo owners, charterers, shipowners and operators, and how this website may be used. Clause 9 limits our liability; please read it.
Last updated: 7 November 2026
1. Who we are and when these terms apply
1.1 "We", "us" and "the Desk" mean [Company legal name], trading as Chloe Chartering, registered at [registered address]. "You" means any person or company that sends us an enquiry, asks for our services, responds to a proposal we circulate, or uses this website, and anyone you act for.
1.2 These terms apply from the moment you contact us or reply to us about a cargo, a vessel or a charter, and they cover every dealing between us unless we agree something different in writing. Where a charter party, commission clause or separate signed agreement deals with a point differently, that document takes priority on that point.
2. What we do
2.1 We are an independent chartering broker. We introduce cargo interests to vessel interests, pass offers and counter-offers between them, and help coordinate a fixture and its follow-up.
2.2 We are not a carrier, ship operator, freight forwarder or agent of the ship, and we do not take possession of cargo. We do not become a party to any charter party, contract of carriage or sale unless we expressly agree to do so in writing. The parties to a fixture are responsible to each other for performing it.
2.3 We may act for several clients at once, including on competing enquiries, unless we have agreed in writing to act exclusively for you.
2.4 Work beyond chartering broking, such as market valuations, voyage estimates or consultancy, is quoted separately and may carry its own terms.
3. Enquiries, indications and fixtures
3.1 Submitting a form on this website, emailing the Desk or receiving a reply from us is an enquiry only. It is not a booking, an offer capable of acceptance, a fixture or a contract of carriage.
3.2 Any vessel availability, freight idea, rate or position we mention is indicative and depends on the other party's confirmation. A fixture exists only when the principals have agreed all main terms and lifted all subjects, as confirmed in a written recap.
3.3 We do not guarantee that we will find a match for any cargo or vessel, or that any negotiation will lead to a fixture.
3.4 Where we bring together part cargoes from several shippers for one voyage, the vessel is chartered by a ship operator or a lead shipper, not by us. Each shipper's freight share, ports, laycan and responsibility for delay costs are set out in its own written booking terms with that party. A pooled voyage proceeds only once every participating parcel is confirmed. We are not liable for the performance of the operator, the lead shipper or any other shipper, including a withdrawal before or after confirmation.
3.5 Ballast-leg listings on this website are published only with the owner's approval, without identifying the vessel or owner. They are indicative, may be withdrawn at any time, and do not commit the owner to any rate or cargo.
4. How we will work for you
4.1 We will use the skill and care reasonably expected of a professional shipbroker. We will act within the authority you give us, pass on communications accurately and without undue delay, and not knowingly misstate facts.
4.2 We pass on information about vessels, cargoes and counterparties as we receive it and in good faith. We do not verify or guarantee it. You remain responsible for your own checks on a counterparty's standing, solvency, vessel condition and suitability, and for your own decision to fix.
4.3 Before introducing a vessel or counterparty, we screen it against the sources described on our How We Screen page and share the result with you. A screening summary records what those sources showed on the date stated. It is not a guarantee that any party, vessel, cargo or voyage complies with sanctions or other laws, and it does not replace your own due diligence.
4.4 We aim to give a first response to every enquiry within 24 hours of receiving it. This is a service standard, not a contractual obligation.
5. What we need from you
5.1 You confirm that you have authority to make the enquiry and, if you act for someone else, that you are authorised to bind them.
5.2 You will give us accurate, complete and timely information and instructions, read what we send you promptly, and tell us straight away if anything in our messages or recaps looks wrong.
5.3 You will tell us which email addresses to use for operational and post-fixture matters and acknowledge urgent messages.
6. Sanctions and compliance
6.1 You confirm that, to your knowledge, no enquiry, cargo, vessel, party or payment involved breaches applicable sanctions, export controls, anti-money-laundering or anti-bribery laws. You will tell us at once if that changes.
6.2 We may carry out our own checks and may decline an enquiry, suspend work or stop acting for you at any time if we have a compliance concern. We will have no liability to you for doing so.
7. Confidentiality and your information
7.1 We treat the commercial details you give us as confidential. We use them only to look for a match and to carry out the services, and we share them with a prospective counterparty only to the extent needed and with your permission.
7.2 We never publish your vessel positions, cargo enquiries or fixtures on this website or elsewhere without your consent.
7.3 This duty does not cover information that is already public, that we already held, or that we are required to disclose by law, regulation or a competent authority. It lasts for three years after the relevant negotiation or fixture ends.
7.4 We keep the contact details you give us in order to respond to you and to keep a record of our dealings. You may ask us to correct or delete them, subject to any record we must keep by law. Write to the Desk at lm@chloechartering.com.
8. Commission and fees
8.1 Unless agreed otherwise, we are paid by brokerage commission on gross freight, hire or demurrage, at the rate stated in the negotiations, recap or charter party commission clause.
8.2 Commission is earned when the fixture is concluded and is payable as freight, hire or demurrage is earned or paid. It must not be held back because of a dispute between the principals that does not concern our services.
8.3 Where the negotiations, recap or charter party do not say otherwise, the following defaults apply:
- Voyage charters: commission is due on gross freight, deadfreight and demurrage, and is payable within 14 days of each payment of freight, deadfreight or demurrage to the owner.
- Time charters and trip time charters: commission is due on all hire earned during the charter, including any extension or option period, and is payable within 14 days of each hire payment to the owner.
- Contracts of affreightment and consecutive voyages: commission is due on each shipment or voyage performed under the contract, on the voyage-charter basis above.
- Pooled part cargoes: commission is due on each shipper's freight share under its booking terms, and is payable by the party named in those terms.
- Who pays: the owner, or the party that receives the freight or hire, pays the commission unless the recap names another party.
8.4 If a fixture is concluded but the charter is cancelled or not performed because one party fails to perform, that party pays us, as compensation, one third of the commission we would have earned on the estimated freight or hire, unless a different amount is agreed in writing. Commission already earned on freight, hire or demurrage actually paid remains due in full.
8.5 Our right to commission continues if the same parties conclude a further fixture, extension or contract arising from our introduction within 12 months, whether or not we are involved in negotiating it.
8.6 Fees for other work are invoiced and payable within 30 days. Where no fee was agreed, a reasonable market fee applies. Unpaid amounts carry interest from the due date at 2% per year above the Bank of England base rate. All amounts are exclusive of applicable taxes.
9. Limits on our liability
9.1 Nothing in these terms limits liability for fraud, or for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any other liability that cannot be limited by law.
9.2 Otherwise, we are liable only for direct loss you suffer because we failed to meet the standard in clause 4.1. We are not liable for loss of profit, loss of business or opportunity, indirect or consequential loss, events outside our reasonable control, or loss caused by the acts or omissions of a principal, ship, carrier, agent or other third party.
9.3 Our total liability arising from any one enquiry, negotiation or fixture, however it arises, will not exceed [USD 50,000].
9.4 You must notify us in writing of any claim within 30 days of becoming aware, or when you should reasonably have become aware, of the facts giving rise to it. Any legal proceedings must be started within 12 months of the end of the negotiation or the completion of the fixture.
10. This website and our market intelligence
10.1 The weekly briefs and other commentary on this website summarise publicly available market reports for general information. They are not a freight offer, an indication for any specific cargo or vessel, or investment, legal or insurance advice. Figures are as reported by the source named and may be out of date. Do not rely on them without checking with us or the original source.
10.2 Links to other websites are provided for convenience. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content or availability.
10.3 The content and design of this website belong to us or our licensors. You may view and share pages for your own business purposes but may not copy, republish or resell them without our written permission.
10.4 You must not use the enquiry forms to send false, misleading or unlawful information, or attempt to interfere with the website.
11. General
11.1 We may update these terms from time to time. The version on this page on the date of your enquiry applies to that enquiry.
11.2 If any part of these terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.
11.3 We may retain any documents we hold for you, whatever fixture they relate to, until every commission, fee or other amount you owe us has been paid.
12. Governing law and disputes
12.1 These terms, and any dispute about them or our services, are governed by [English law]. Disputes will be referred to [arbitration in London under the current LMAA Terms], unless we agree another forum in writing.
Contact · Submit an enquiry
No registration. One form. A direct reply.
Every enquiry is reviewed by our chartering desk, and you will hear from us within 24 hours. Any vessel or counterparty we propose comes with a screening summary.
Commercial information you submit is used only to look for a suitable match. We do not publish vessel positions or cargo enquiries, and we share details with a counterparty only with your permission.
Prefer email? Write to the desk at lm@chloechartering.com
Desk inbox · visible only to you
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