The horizons of the shipping industry are constantly expanding, with huge amounts of cargo being transported from one place to another. Maritime shipping constitutes 90% of the world economy.
With growing demands all around the world, the need for better, more efficient shipping services is increasing. Dry Cargo Shipping is one of the biggest sectors of the shipping industry.

What is Dry Cargo Chartering?

The name says it all, doesn’t it? Any cargo shipped that is dry, solid and not in a liquid or gaseous state is called dry cargo chartering. Whether it be iron ore, fabrics, rocks grains, steel etc, everything qualifies as dry cargo. This dry cargo that is shipped in huge quantities is called Dry Cargo Chartering.
The demand for dry cargo chartering is growing rapidly. Over 3 billion tons of cargo is shipped each year. Dry Cargo Chartering companies like Alphard Maritime help the charterers to ship the required cargo from one place to another globally. Dry cargo chartering includes some being shipped globally, i.e.
Covering all the trade routes. There are many other things that are shipped as dry cargo parts such as metal, scrap, steel, timber etc.

Following are the types of cargoes that can be shipped as a part of dry cargo chartering. Every type of cargo is different and has its own challenges.

Hazardous cargo:
Hazardous cargo or dangerous goods consist of goods that are covered by the IMDG code. This particular kind of cargo can be harmful and can pose threat to the health and safety of a person because of its corrosive, flammable, poisonous nature or other properties. Safe storage and appropriate precautions need to be taken while shipping dangerous goods.

Food-grade cargo:
Food-grade cargo is essentially the goods that consist of edible items, most of them require refrigeration so as to preserve them throughout the voyage. These kinds of cargoes require a special container that has not been used for storing any kinds of harmful substances or chemicals before.

Valuable cargo:
Valuable cargo is defined by IATA as a cargo that costs $1000 per kilo. This kind of cargo may consist of highly expensive things like jewelry, bank documents, cash, medical equipment, high-end fashion items, etc. Shipping this kind of cargo is a sensitive matter and needs absolute care and security. Utmost care needs to be taken while shipping valuable cargo given the high-value of these items.

Dry cargo shipping is one of the most important parts of the shipping industry today. Not just in business but the links of dry cargo chartering are present in objects we use in our day to day life. Like the food in your refrigerator or the steel used for building the windows of your house, is all present because of dry cargo chartering. This sector is the one that is always in a boom and is always going to be vital to make our day-to-day life possible.