We are looking to hire an experienced Vessel Charter Manager for our Sharjah office to lead the sourcing, negotiation, and execution of container and multi-purpose vessel charters for our Gulf–Pakistan–India–Far East trade for the full charter lifecycle: from vessel sourcing and Charterparty negotiation through to redelivery and final settlement. The ideal candidate will independently build and manage a high-volume chartering operation, while protecting the Charterer's commercial and legal position in every fixture.
About the Job Role:
Source, negotiate, and fix Container (Feeder/Feedermax), Multi-Purpose (MPP), and General Cargo vessels for the Gulf–Pakistan–India–Far East trade.
Execute Time Charters (TC), Feeder Charters, Slot Charter agreements, Vessel Sharing Agreements (VSAs), and Slot Swap/Purchase deals.
Negotiate directly with container shipowners, tonnage providers, feeder operators, Main Line Operators (MLOs), and container shipbrokers.
Develop dedicated vessel and slot solutions for 3,000+ TEUs/containers per month.
Optimize slot costs per TEU/FEU, vessel intake, slot utilization, and equipment repositioning.
Negotiate and manage Container and General Cargo Charterparties (e.g., BIMCO BOXTIME 2004, NYPE 93/2015, BALTIME) from the Charterer's side, ensuring terms are commercially balanced, legally sound, and aligned with the Company's directives.
Identify, assess, and mitigate contractual and commercial risks before fixture, including but not limited to back-to-back exposure, payment security structures, performance warranties, and dispute resolution mechanisms.
Manage laycan, off-hire claims, speed & consumption warranties, and terminal performance.
Monitor bunker prices (VLSFO/MGO), container charter indices (Harpex, ConTex, Howe Robinson), slot market rates, PDAs, and vessel availability.
Coordinate vessel berth windows, container terminal operations, bay planning (BAPLIE files), stowage approval, reefer monitoring, lashing compliance, and port agents.
Manage container payload limits, stack weight constraints, tier restrictions, hazardous cargo (IMO) stowage, and heavy-weight container allocation.
Identify backhaul container opportunities, Empty Container Repositioning (EPR) efficiency, and improve round-trip vessel utilization.
Oversee voyage profitability, container chartering claims, and final voyage reconciliation.
Conduct KYC and credit assessment on counterparties before fixture.
Maintain a risk register of all active charters and flag potential exposure to senior management.
Manage disputes arising under Charter Parties, working with external counsel and representing MCT in arbitration where required.
Required Experience, Skills and Qualifications:
Must be based in Sharjah.
15+ years of direct commercial container vessel chartering and feeder/slot management experience.
Strong UAE/GCC/Singapore container shipping and liner market experience is essential.
Proven track record of independently fixing container vessels and negotiating slot agreements.
Demonstrated experience negotiating Time Charter Parties on behalf of Charterers, with a strong understanding of contractual risk allocation, payment security, performance claims, and dispute resolution in cross-border chartering.
Familiarity with BIMCO standard clauses, Charterparty forms (BOXTIME, NYPE, BALTIME, GENCON), and arbitration frameworks relevant to UAE-based charterers.
Hands-on experience in container chartering, feeder network operations, and slot trading.
Strong existing network of container shipowners, tonnage providers, feeder operators, Main Line Operators (MLOs), container brokers, and port agencies.
Experience in UAE–Pakistan / UAE–India / GCC–South Asia container trade lanes highly preferred.
Knowledge of containerized cargo handling, including dry van, heavy-weight containerized cargo (e.g., metal scrap in containers), reefers, ISO tanks, and Out-of-Gauge (OOG) cargo.
Strong knowledge of Container Charterparties, Bills of Lading, Incoterms, P&I matters, and marine claims.
Experience with UAE Federal Law, DIAC arbitration, and DIFC exclusion clauses is a strong advantage.
Legal or maritime law qualification (LLM or equivalent) is an advantage.
ICS (Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers) qualification/membership preferred.
