Port line-ups: how to read the queue of ships and what it says about freight
What a line-up is, how to read its ships, cargoes, tonnes and waiting queue, and why it matters to whoever quotes freight to a port. In beta on every plan.
By The CargoIA team2 min read
Before a ship loads soybeans at Paranaguá, the soybeans have to reach the port, and a good part of them arrive by truck. The line-up is the list a port publishes of the ships on their way, the ones waiting and the ones at the berth. For whoever quotes freight to the port, it is a way to see demand at the far end of the lane.
What a line-up holds
Each line of a line-up is a ship, with:
- its name and IMO number;
- the operation, loading or discharging;
- the cargo and the planned tonnes;
- the berth, the terminal and the agency;
- the dates of expected arrival, arrival at the port, berthing and departure.
The four phases
In CargoIA, every ship shows in one of four phases:
- on its way, when the port has announced it and it hasn't arrived;
- waiting, when it has arrived and waits offshore, anchored or with a berth already scheduled;
- berthed, when it is at the berth, loading or discharging;
- gone, when it left the berth in the last 72 hours.
Cargoes fall into eight groups: soybeans, soymeal, corn, wheat, sugar, fertilizer, containers and other. "Farelo de soja" counts as soymeal, and soybean oil does not count as soybeans.
How to read the page
The page starts with the summary: how many tonnes of the chosen cargo are in the line-ups and how many are on their way, waiting and berthed, how long the ships in the queue have waited on average, and when the next ship is due. Then come the ports, busiest first, and finally the ships, searchable by name, IMO, terminal or agency. Each port's page also charts its line-up over the last 30 days.
People who work with freight tend to look at two things. One is grain loading (soybeans, corn, soymeal): tonnes waiting or on their way are cargo that still needs transport to the port. The other is fertilizer discharge, since a ship discharging fertilizer is cargo leaving the port for the interior, and it can become the return freight of whoever brought grain down.
The queue alone does not set the price of freight. It is one signal among several and makes most sense next to what the market is paying on the lane. Still, if the soybean queue at a port grew over the week, it is easier to see why a shipper is in a hurry, and to negotiate with that in mind.
Which ports
Paranaguá, Rio Grande and São Francisco do Sul, among others. Santos joins soon.
In beta, on every plan
Line-ups are in beta, under Ports → Line-ups, on every plan, from Pro to Enterprise. Something looks off? Tell us through the feedback button at the top of the page.
See the plans and what each one includes.