Commercial Management
From the time a vessel is fixed for employment by our chartering department till the time that vessel completes her voyage, our commercial team looks after all the aspects of the commercial requirements of the vessel, which includes appointment and negotiations with the port agents, liaison with the master of the vessel with respect to the terms and conditions of the charter party, appointment of cargo surveyors, the planning of the voyage, replenishment of bunkers, fresh water and items required with relation to stowage of cargo, dealing with the vessel's P & I club in case of claims, dealing with charterers for collection of freight, etc. Each of these activities are outlined below for a better understanding of our operations.

Fixture/post fixture activities
During negotiations between our chartering department and various brokers worldwide for fixing of our vessels, our role is to provide accurate information to the chartering department vis-à-vis the position of the vessel and the exact time that the vessel would be available for the upcoming fixture, the cargo loadable quantity, the vessel's status of class surveys, etc. Once the fixture is concluded by our chartering department, and the vessel is fixed - on voyage or time charter, our commercial management team takes over.

Appointment of agents
We have a large database of agents world wide with whom we have special arrangements and rates fixed so as to get the best services for our vessels at the most economical rates. Over the years we have built a special relationship with our agents which is in the best interest of our vessels when they are in these agents' care. At times, the charterers nominate their agent, whom we appoint and deal with for all husbandry needs of the vessel. Our commercial team negotiates with these agents and also compare their proforma disbursement account with other agents for the best deal possible for the vessel's owners. As we have a US Dollar account with the permission of the Reserve Bank of India, it is easy for us to settle the agents' port disbursement accounts directly.

Liaison with masters of vessels
We maintain a close rapport with the Masters of our vessels and communicate with them over telephone, telex and    e-mail, giving them advise and ensuring that they have understood all aspects of the fixture in order to make the voyage commercially successful. We also monitor the vessel's performance with respect to speed, routeing, etc. as per our company's ISM code policy. The master's needs with respect to fuel, fresh water, dunnaging, etc. are taken care of in time. Another aspect of our daily contact with the masters, when a vessel is in port, is to ensure smooth cargo operations with particular attention to quick dispatch of the vessel. The Master is constantly advised/informed about the nature of the cargo and the care required in its safe carriage to its destination. From the time the cargo is loaded until it is safely discharged, our commercial team is actively involved with the Master in monitoring the condition of the cargo. We believe in leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the cargo is safely carried and discharged at its destination, and hence minimizes insurance claims.

Bunkering of vessels
The cost of fuel, as everyone is aware, is the biggest expense for a vessel's voyage. Hence, we have to work out all permutation combinations to decide where to stem the bunkers for the vessel for that particular voyage. A deviation from the route to supply the bunkers at a more economical rate is not ruled out and our commercial team is always on the alert and working out possibilities for a cost effective bunker supply to the vessel. In this respect we have the expertise of our bunker brokers in London, with whom we have built a relationship similar to our various port agents. We take quotes from several brokers and negotiate for the best price before confirming a bunker stem, keeping in mind the commercial success of the voyage.

Bills of lading; freight/hire collection
All bills of lading for the cargo loaded onboard our vessels are scrutinized by us before giving release instructions to the load port agents. In this respect, we communicate with our chartering/accounts department to ensure that the freight is received by the owner's bank before release instructions are given. Similarly, if the b/l has not arrived at the disport, we communicate with the owners to confirm whether delivery order can be issued to the consignees, through our appointed port agent. Freight is normally collected by the owners, directly into their account. However, if an owner so desires, we can arrange for collection of freight or time charter hire on their behalf, with the special permission of the Reserve Bank of India.

Calculation of laytime and preparing voyage summaries
Our commercial team is experienced in preparing laytime statements, which are prepared and passed on to the chartering department for settlement. At the end of a voyage, an account summary is prepared for the Owners after gathering all relevant information so that at a glance they can see whether the particular voyage was a success or not and the amount of profit or loss made during the voyage. This information would be of great value to the owners before fixing the vessel on a similar voyage.

Insurances (P & I), (Hull & Machinery),  Crew , Pollution, War Risks, etc…
We arrange insurances after best negotiations to meet requirements of our customers and as agreed by them in particular regarding conditions, insured value, deductibles and franchises.  We ensure that the vessel is insured for not less than her sound market value.  We place all vessels jointly belonging to different customers under our management under single fleet entry cover to achieve competitive rates and thus giving advantage to each of our customers.

Once vessel is insured we correspond with insurers in all matters, process claims of all nature and follow up for expeditious settlement.