Cargo planning
Grain: plan for cubic capacity as well as deadweight
Grain can become hold-volume constrained before a vessel reaches nominal DWT. CharterPulse therefore treats stowage factor, hold capacity, cargo quantity, terminal capability and gear requirements as part of the vessel-selection question.
What changes the vessel recommendation?
| Input | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Stowage factor | Higher cubic requirement can push the planning class upward even when DWT looks adequate. |
| Hold cleanliness | Actual vessel suitability depends on cargo history and condition of the holds. |
| Gear / shore equipment | Terminal equipment can change whether a geared Supramax/Ultramax or larger gearless class is more practical. |
| Port draft and productivity | Can override a purely economic class comparison. |
Planning rule: use the cargo-aware recommendation as a first screening tool; confirm actual vessel hold capacity and grain-loading requirements before fixing.