When you ship the same commodity again and again, leaving freight to the spot market is a risk you don't need to take. A COA locks in capacity and price across your program.
A Contract of Affreightment is an agreement in which a carrier commits to transport a defined quantity of cargo, over a defined period, between agreed routes — at pre-agreed freight terms — without tying the commitment to a single named vessel.
Instead of fixing one ship for one voyage, a COA covers many shipments over months or years. The cargo owner gains assured capacity and predictable cost; the freight provider optimises tonnage across the program. As a fleet-independent specialist, Sunrise Maritime structures and executes COAs purely around your cargo economics.
| Dimension | Spot Voyage | COA |
|---|---|---|
| Price certainty | Exposed to market | Pre-agreed |
| Capacity security | Per-voyage risk | Assured |
| Planning horizon | Days–weeks | Months–years |
| Admin per shipment | High | Low |
| Budget predictability | Volatile | Stable line item |
Pre-agreed rates remove exposure to spot-market swings.
Guaranteed tonnage when you need it, even in tight markets.
A multi-year horizon you can build supply-chain plans around.
Program-level scale and planning drive freight cost down.
Dependable cargo flow that protects downstream commitments.
A disciplined seven-stage path from cargo brief to a live, monitored freight program.
We map volumes, commodities, seasonality, packaging, and your commercial objectives — the foundation every sound COA is built on.
Ports, drafts, restrictions, and rotations are assessed to define the most efficient and reliable trade lanes for your program.
Using live market intelligence, we model freight across vessel classes and structures — fixed, indexed, or hybrid — to fit your risk appetite.
We align suitable vessel classes and owner relationships to the program — fleet-independent, so the choice is always cargo-led.
Laycan spreads, nomination mechanics, demurrage/despatch, escalation and performance terms are structured for clarity and fairness.
Each shipment is nominated, fixed and operated under the COA — with our desk managing voyages end to end, 24/7.
We track performance against the contract, report transparently, and continuously optimise as markets and volumes evolve.
Bulk freight rates track the commodities and macro conditions behind global trade. A live read on energy and equity benchmarks that shape the freight environment.
Market data is indicative and may be delayed. Crude oil is shown via the USO (WTI) and BNO (Brent) exchange-traded funds as proxies. Figures are for general context only and are not investment, trading, or freight-pricing advice. The Baltic Dry Index is a licensed benchmark and is not shown here; contact us for current freight levels.
Share your cargo program and our COA specialists will model an indicative structure and walk you through the economics — with no obligation.