London’s Baltic Exchange and maritime data and freight management solutions company Veson Nautical have joined forces to launch the latest version of the official Baltic99 questionnaire for the dry bulk sector.
The questionnaire, which remains the industry standard for collecting and collating detailed information about the global dry bulk fleet, is designed to help owners and charterers share common data requirements to speed up the vetting process when a vessel is put up for hire, facilitate faster trades and ensure smarter pre-fixture decision making.
It is also a vital tool to ensure owners and operators supply the data they need as part of their commercial and vetting criteria to ensure they are in line with regional, national and International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations.
The latest version of the questionnaire, which is now available, has expanded its criteria to cover an increasing cadence of requests for safety and sustainability information about bulk carriers.
As a result, the Baltic99 Questionnaire has been designed to help move the global maritime industry move forward on a number of key issues, such as reducing carbon emissions, increasing operational safety standards in the dry bulk trade, and Ballast Water Treatment Systems.
In addition, respondents to the Baltic99 Questionnaire are also asked for their vessel’s greenhouse gas (GHG) data, energy and consumption ratings and NoX emissions compliance data.
The enhancements in this latest version of the questionnaire incorporate suggestions from the Baltic Membership Council, industry partners and subscribers to Veson Nautical’s dry bulk information management service, Q88 Dry.
“Using Q88 Dry to complete the Baltic99 Questionnaire with integrated certificate management makes it easy for owners and operators to share vessel particulars and certificates with your charterers and brokers,” said Tor-Arne Berger, senior product manager at Veson Nautical.
“The Baltic99 Questionnaire remains the industry leading questionnaire for commercial fixtures in the dry bulk industry,” noted Janet Sykes, chief commercial officer at Baltic Exchange. “This latest revision includes several key developments linked to important emissions-related data and enhanced safety requirements to ensure charterers are hiring the right vessel for their needs and expedite the vessel acceptance process.”
“We are pleased to once again partner with Veson Nautical on the Baltic99 Questionnaire as we all work together to drive the maritime industry forward to a more sustainable and efficient future,” Skyes added.
Both companies are now urging owners and operators to verify that their vessel data is accurate, complete and up to date.
