Formed to address the growing needs of shippers for the most comprehensive, flexible and reliable bulk shipping service Pacific Basin-IHC operates one of the largest modern handysize fleets in the world and Pacific Basin-IHX is a top 10 handymax operator.Together we provide cargo solutions for dry bulk shipments ranging from 20,000 to 60,000 metric tonnes. Both were. Our combined handysize and handymax fleet (excluding newbuildings on order) comprises approximately 100 vessels which, enhanced by round-the-clock support from experienced freight and operations professionals in eight chartering offices around the world, enables us to provide our customers with a professional, high-quality, reliable service at competitive freight rates. We offer a range of freight contracts (from spot charters to multi-year contracts of affreightment) to a diverse group of customers who are mainly blue-chip producers and end-users of industrial commodities.

We make use of a full range of chartering tools including time charters, contracts of affreightment (“COAs”), spot market fixtures, and derivative instruments including forward freight agreements (“FFAs”) and bunker hedges. These tools allow us to manage our exposure in response to market changes by increasing or reducing our net vessel and cargo positions. We make only limited use of FFAs (substantially all of which are executed via leading banks) to help us hedge our forward book of physical ships and cargoes.