Brokerage
Established in November, 1988, Hansen Shipping Agencies Co., Ltd., leader in Taiwanese shipping agent service industry, has been doing brokerage business since 2002 on behalf of our principals, based on our long-term relationships with foreign owners. In May 2006, we officially established the department of petrochemical parcel tankers. Our business scope covers China, the Far East, Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East. We directly keep contacts with and provide efficient and professional services to Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Southeast Asian partners and ship owners, thus maintaining a friendly relationship between traders, shippers, and the Taiwanese petrochemical industry.
Operational Characteristics
There are three operational categories in the shipping industry: regular, irregular, and special subsidiary shipping. The third category is a subsidiary business designed for non-shipping companies to supply raw materials to themselves. The second category is simply bulk shipping, and, as the name suggests, its routes, periods, and destinations are very irregular in comparison to the first category, depending on the source of the goods and the operating line of contacts given by charter broker services and the importation/exportation business set up by the agency. In addition, the second category is in general slower with lower costs, and is therefore ideal for transporting non-urgent bulk materials.
Capesize:
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Deadweight (DWT) is over 100,000 tons. Because of the size, they cannot go through the Panama Canal and has to go around the Cape of Good Hope. They are also known as Capesize. |
Panamax:
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Deadweight is over 60,000 tons, This is the maximum size that is capable of going through the Panama Canal. The length is less than 245 meters, the breadth is less than 32.2 meters, and the maximum draft is 12.04 meters. Currently, the Panamax usually load a total of 76,000 tons. In addition to carrying ore and coal, a majority of grains are transported by the Panamax. |
Handymax:
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Deadweight is between 35,000 tons and 40,000 tons. The draft is shallower, and these vessels can basically stop at any ports in the world. They mostly ship bulk goods (iron, coal, and grains) as well as secondary bulk materials, such as cement, wood chips, fertilizers, and other agricultural products. |
Handy:
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Deadweight is between 20,000 tons and 27,000 tons. They are of the maximum size that can drive into the 5 major lakes in the US. The maximum length is not over 222.5 meters, the maximum width is not over 23.1 meters, and the maximum draft is smaller than 7.925 meters. |
These ships have the property of being able to substitute upward in terms of tonnage. For example, the Panamax can substitute for the Capes in transporting coal and iron, while the Capes cannot transport agricultural products in a cost-efficient way.
 Container ships |
 bulk/general cargo ships |
 cement ships |
 Log vessel |
 Oil tanker |
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 Liquefied gas tankers |
Modes of Operation
Operation can be categorized into the following three modes:
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Bareboat charter: the owner lends an empty ship, with no crew and no supplies, to the charterer. The periodic payments are determined by the tonnage. However, the employment of high officials onto the boat must be agreed upon by the said owner, and the charterer must be responsible for all the expenditures. Bareboat charter is relatively rare, since the charterer has to be greatly trusted by the owner. |
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Time chartering: Within a certain period, monthly or daily payments are made according to tonnage. However, the owner is responsible for the employment of the crew in order to maximize the control over ship management. The owner is also responsible for the fixed costs, but the charterer is responsible for the variable costs. |
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Voyage chartering: This is the most common mode. Payments are determined by tonnage or volume of the load, or by a fixed amount regardless of tonnage. As long as the shipping is carried out according to the agreed route, the owner is responsible for all costs. |
