This is a Key Topic, with high value for all users.
When you need to set up a contract agreement to move a certain amount of cargo over a period of time, you can use a Cargo COA, or Contract of Affreightment. A Cargo COA is like an umbrella contract that might include several different cargoes and several different load and discharge ports, each with its own terms and costs.
A VC In COA represents the contract from a charterer's perspective. Whereas a Cargo COA is a long-term sale contract on a Voyage Charter basis, a VC In COA is a long-term purchase contract.
Cargo COA List
The Cargo COA List includes all Cargo COAs that you have the right to view.
On the Chartering menu , under Cargo, click Cargo COA.
- These contracts also appear in Cargo Schedule, Matching, Scheduling, and Cargo Book workspaces.
- To view the details of a Cargo COA, click its row.
Creating a Cargo COA
To create a Cargo COA, on the Cargo COA List, click 
.
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- To share a Cargo COA, copy its URL and then share it with any users in your organization.
Note: To view the Cargo COA, users must be logged in. - Cargo COA details are in the center:
Cargo COAs include general contract information and the following sections:
- Cargo COA information appears in general information, Cargoes, and Vessel Types, Itinerary/Options, Pricing, Linked Liftings, Exposure (when configuration flag CFGEnableBenchmarkEstimate is enabled), Properties (when User Defined Fields applicable to the Cargo COA are set up), Revenues/Expenses, Rebill Settings, Nomination Tasks, and Planning Periods (when CFGEnableCOAPlanningPeriod is enabled) sections.
- You can access additional tools, forms, and information on the toolbar.
When you save the Cargo COA, Cargo IDs are assigned to all the linked Cargoes, and you can use the ID to add a Cargo to a Voyage Fixture. To open an individual Cargo, right-click it and then click Cargo. All the parameters are copied from the COA.
Changing COA Status and Editing a COA
To change the status of a COA to or from Confirmed, the Confirm COA Module Right must be selected in Security. When a COA has status Confirmed, only certain fields can be edited, either with or without this right.
CFGEnableGeneralUnpricedComponent
Adds an Unpriced Elements button to the toolbar, giving you access to the Unpriced Component form, on which you can record index-linked components.
CFGUseCompanyLobTradeAreaHierarchy
Sets up a hierarchy between Company, LOB, and Trade Area on this form.
CFGEnforceCOAItinerary
Turns on validations between a cargo and the COA associated with it.
CFGContractReferenceURL
Converts the Contract Link field to a Hyperlink. This is used to interface with third party systems such as Chinsay.
CFGDeleteFixtureUponVoyageDeletion
When a voyage is deleted, its Voyage Fixture is also deleted. If the voyage was created from a Cargo COA (with CFGPreserveGeneratedCargoes disabled), the voyage's Cargo is deleted as well.
CFGResetCOALiftingUponFixtureDeletion
When a Voyage Fixture is deleted, and its Cargo is a COA lifting, or when a COA Cargo is unscheduled by removing it from a voyage, the lifting is reset as follows:
- The Cargo Status is set to Confirmed.
- The Cargo Qty is reset to the Qty/Lifting value from the COA.
CFGEnableContractMirroring
Enables the following types of intercompany contracts to be mirrored: Cargo COA, VC In COA, Cargo, VC In, Time Charter In, Time Charter Out, and FFA/Option/Bunker Swap Trade. When a contract of one of these types is created with internal counterparties, mirrored contract from the opposite perspective is automatically created, so that users from both legal entities can manage the contract and include it in both their operational planning and their trading exposure and P&L.
CFGShowRemittanceInCargo
Adds Remittance Bank, Invoice %, Payment Terms, and Balance % fields to the CP Terms Details, Cargo COA, Cargo, VC In COA, and VC In forms. Also adds a Remittance Bank field to Time Charter Other Information. Remittance information flows between these places; for example, fixing an Estimate will transfer the remittance information.
- In a Cargo COA, VC In, or Time Charter Out, changing the Company clears the remittance bank information, as this may change with a change to the Company.
- In a VC In COA or Time Charter In, changing the Owner clears the remittance bank information, as this may change with a change to the Owner.
- A default value for the Remittance Bank for each currency can be selected in the Address Bank Links Tab for Cargo COA, Cargo, and Time Charter Out (Other Information) contracts, but it can be changed later.
CFGScheduleMaxLift
Sets the Cargo CP Quantity to the Max Lift Quantity when scheduling a single cargo voyage where discharge is after all loads in the itinerary, using Create New Voyage from a COA or a Cargo or Schedule Voyage from a Cargo. After initial scheduling, all changes to CP Quantity must be made manually; there will be no automatic updates.
CFGRestrictCargoFromCOA
Causes the Cargo selection on the Cargo form to respect the Cargo list in the linked COA.
General Information, Cargoes, and Vessel Types
In this section of the Cargo COA, complete the information as appropriate.
- In the Cargo grid: Cargo Names that are allowed for the liftings under the contract.
- In the Vessel Type grid: Vessel Types to fulfill the contract.
CFGAutoNumberCOA
Automatically assigns a Contract ID number on COAs.
CFGEnableOpsLOB
If enabled, displays an LOB (Line of Business) field on the Address (Type W), Estimate, Voyage Fixture, Voyage Details, and contract forms.
CFGEnableStandards
Hides the Port Expense field on some forms, enables standards for expenses, adds a Port Expenses Details form and a Port Expenses Details button on the Port Expenses Summary to open it, and adds an ECA Factor field (which populates based on ECA Recovery Charge rules) to Cargo/VC In COA, Cargo/VC In, and CP Terms Details forms. When detail-level port expenses are being used, the PortExp column in the Voyage Manager Itinerary behaves the same as the PortExp column in the Voyage Estimate itinerary:
- For a port with no detail-level port expenses, you can edit its PortExp amount in the Voyage Manager Itinerary Cargo Tab. The voyage P&L shows this amount as estimated expenses for that port.
- For a port with a single detail-level expense, that amount appears and can be edited in the voyage itinerary PortExp field. An estimated expense entered before creating the detail-level expense is no longer displayed in the voyage P&L.
- For a port with multiple detail-level expenses, the itinerary PortExp field shows the sum of the detail-level expenses for that port and cannot be edited.
Itinerary/Options Tab
Use the Itinerary/Options tab to define your itinerary and pricing if your contract is simple, and you do not use the Pricing tab.
- Load Options and Discharge Options grids: Each potential load and discharge port and the terms that apply to the port.
- When you add a Port to an Options grid, the Berth defaults ot Quay.
- When you select a Port and Berth combination in the Itinerary that matches a Load or Discharge Option line, that information automatically populates. You can change the ports and/or terms on the Cargo form.
- To open the Port form, for example to update berth details, right-click a line and then click Port.
CFGUseSymmetricalBAF
Implement Symmetrical Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) for the Price Matrix (with options determined by configuration flag CFGLockBunkerSurchargeOnFix).
The Bunker Adjustment Factor can be allocated on a per cargo basis, and each freight adjustment can be based on a specific market, with an individual adjustment as required. Bunker exposure associated with a confirmed Cargo is derived from the Estimate Matrix tab and reflected in the Exposure report.
CFGLockBunkerSurchargeOnFix
The Bunker Adjustment Factor can be used to adjust the Freight Rate based on the bunker price, rather than using a Bunker Market table on the Cargo form. On the Pricing tab, under Bunker Adjustment, select a Symbol and enter a Quantity, Price, and BAF. When the voyage is fixed, the price is frozen, based on the market curve, based on the Laycan From Date. The BAF is also used in exposure calculations before the voyage is fixed.
Options for the Symmetrical Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) for the Price Matrix:
- N = A Cargo with BAF has Extra Freight Term ZR for the Bunker Adjustment when the Cargo is fixed, which varies with the bunker market rate.
- Y = A Cargo with BAF has Extra Freight Term BR, whose value is locked when the Cargo is fixed.
The Extra Freight Term for BAF is only created if a bunker surcharge exists at the time of fixing the cargo.
CFGEnableCOAPlanningPeriod
Adds Planning Periods functionality to COAs, with Lift Size and Option % fields and a Planning Period grid. The Pricing information for a Planning Period can be specified in the Planning Period field on the Pricing tab. When linked liftings have the Use Pricing from COA check box enabled, the Pricing information will be inherited from the COA, based on which Planning Period is selected in the Cargo form. This feature should not be used with Cargo Booking (CFGEnableCargoBooking and related flags).
CFGEnableBerthInLoadDischOptions
On the Itinerary/Options tab of Cargo COA, Cargo, VC In COA, and VC In forms, Berth and Draft columns appear on the Load and Discharge Options grids. When you enter a Port and Berth combination in the itinerary, if it matches a Load or Discharge Option line, that information automatically populates; manually overwritten values appear as blue text.
CFGEnableCargoItinCommercialID
When enabled, the Cargo and VC In Itinerary/Options tab shows the Commercial ID of each parcel.
CFGEnableCargoHandlingTradeNo
Note: CFGEnableMultiGrade must also be enabled.
Y = If multigrade cargoes are enabled, adds a Trade No. column to the Itinerary Cargo tab in the Voyage Estimate, Voyage Fixture, and Voyage Manager, and the Itinerary/Options tab of the Cargo form. Additionally, if cargo transfers are enabled, the column is added to the Transfers tab. This is a free-text field, where users can enter identifiers for a trade associated with the given cargo lifting.
R = All the functionality of the Y setting is enabled, except that the Trade No. column is read-only.
CFGCargoHandlingTradeNoTitle
Provides an override for the column title of the Trade No. column, which is enabled with CFGEnableCargoHandlingTradeNo. Leaving the setting blank causes the column title to remain Trade No.
Pricing Tab
Use the Pricing tab for flexibility in creating an itinerary for complex contracts.
To use Advanced Pricing to create configurable rules for pricing contracts, select the Advanced check box.
To automatically add pricing lines to the Pricing grid based on Load/Discharge Options, click Update from Opts. Price lines populate for any unique pair of Load and Discharge Options that do not already exist in the Pricing grid; if only one Cargo is selected in the Pricing grid, the same Cargo automatically populates for each new line that is generated.
Or you can manually populate the Pricing grid by adding one line for each possible combination of load port, discharge port, and cargo. Multiple load and discharge ports can be entered per line; the order of the ports is relevant to picking the correct line.
To specify CP Quantity and CP Draft by port and vessel to calculate deadfreight, click Lift CP Qty & Draft.
- Freight Type (Frt Type):
- To use an Index Table to price your freight based on Index values, select Index Table.
- To use a Scale (Rate) Table, defined in the Data Center, select Scale Table and select the table in the Table column.
- To base Freight Rates on the quantity loaded, use a Freight Rate Table.
- To base Freight Rates on the load and discharge ports, if you have different ports, use a Freight Matrix Rate Table.
- To use World Scale, select World Scale: WSC% is in the Amount column; the WSC Flat rate is determined per Cargo, according to its itinerary.
- To enter a VAT No. and VAT % specific to a line, right-click the line and then click VAT Info; otherwise, the default entered above is used.
- Freight Surcharge: To use a Freight Surcharge Table to determine the Freight Surcharge based on quantity, select Table.
- Bunker Surcharge: To use a table to determine the Bunker Surcharge, select one of the following:
- To use a Bunker Cap/Collar Table to base the surcharge on increases above a cap and decreases below a collar, select Cap/Collar.
- To use a Bunker Surcharge Rate Table, select Scale Table and select the table in the Table field below. To edit the Rate Table, click Edit Table.
- Demurrage:
- To use a Flat Rate for Demurrage, select Flat Rate and enter the rates to the right.
- To use a Demurrage Rate Table to determine the demurrage rates based on the deadweight of the vessel, select Scale Table and select the table in the Table field below. To edit the Rate Table, click Edit Table.
- Laytime:
- To use a Flat Rate for Laytime Hours, select Flat Rate and enter the Laytime Allowed amount, unit, and terms, and TT Hours.
- To use a Laytime Hours Rate Table to determine the laytime hours based on cargo BL quantity, select Scale Table and select the table in the Table field below. To edit the Rate Table, click Edit Table.
CFGUseSymmetricalBAF
Implement Symmetrical Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) for the Price Matrix (with options determined by configuration flag CFGLockBunkerSurchargeOnFix).
The Bunker Adjustment Factor can be allocated on a per cargo basis, and each freight adjustment can be based on a specific market, with an individual adjustment as required. Bunker exposure associated with a confirmed Cargo is derived from the Estimate Matrix tab and reflected in the Exposure report.
CFGLockBunkerSurchargeOnFix
The Bunker Adjustment Factor can be used to adjust the Freight Rate based on the bunker price, rather than using a Bunker Market table on the Cargo form. On the Pricing tab, under Bunker Adjustment, select a Symbol and enter a Quantity, Price, and BAF. When the voyage is fixed, the price is frozen, based on the market curve, based on the Laycan From Date. The BAF is also used in exposure calculations before the voyage is fixed.
Options for the Symmetrical Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) for the Price Matrix:
- N = A Cargo with BAF has Extra Freight Term ZR for the Bunker Adjustment when the Cargo is fixed, which varies with the bunker market rate.
- Y = A Cargo with BAF has Extra Freight Term BR, whose value is locked when the Cargo is fixed.
The Extra Freight Term for BAF is only created if a bunker surcharge exists at the time of fixing the cargo.
CFGEnableCOAPlanningPeriod
Adds Planning Periods functionality to COAs, with Lift Size and Option % fields and a Planning Period grid. The Pricing information for a Planning Period can be specified in the Planning Period field on the Pricing tab. When linked liftings have the Use Pricing from COA check box enabled, the Pricing information will be inherited from the COA, based on which Planning Period is selected in the Cargo form. This feature should not be used with Cargo Booking (CFGEnableCargoBooking and related flags).
CFGEnforceOpsLedgerCodeCommissionableProperty
When enabled, the Commissionable setting of an Operations Ledger Code alone determines whether claim and freight adjustment line items are commissionable. When enabled, the commissionable setting cannot be overridden in invoices or per broker.
CFGDefaultClaimCommissionInvoiceSetting
This flag controls the default setting for broker commissions on Claims by setting the default value of M on TC In, TC Out, Cargo, Cargo COA, VC In, and VC In COA broker grids. Possible values:
- 0 (default): Claims are not commissionable.
- 1: Claim commissions will be invoiced separately.
- 2: Commissions will be deducted from the Claim Invoice.
CFGEnableBerthInLoadDischOptions
On the Pricing tab of Cargo COA, Cargo, VC In COA, and VC In forms, Load Port(s) and Discharge Port(s) column labels change to Load Port/Berth(s) and Discharge Port/Berth(s) respectively.
CFGEnableBerthInPriceMatrix
If enabled, allows the Berth to be specified when determining Cargo and COA pricing.
CFGApplyICAdjustmentToXfrt
If enabled, for a model B mirrored freight contract (Cargo / VC In and Cargo / VC In COAs), an Extra Freight Term is adjusted by IC Adj % in the same way as the base freight, if the Extra Freight Term type is Rate or Lumpsum (not Percent).
Linked Liftings Tab
After Cargoes are created, they appear on the Linked Liftings tab of the Cargo COA.
Liftings in a CCOA or VCOA are color coded by status:
- Inquiry: White background with black text
- Confirmed Cargo/VC In but not linked to a VC In/Cargo: Blue background with black text
- Confirmed Cargo/VC In linked to a VC In/Cargo: Green background with black text
- Fixed: Yellow background with black text
- Withdrawn: White background with red text
In the Firm Liftings field, you can select to view Remaining, Completed, or Total.
To view and edit the details on the Cargo form, right-click a lifting and then click Cargo Details.
Updating Cargoes
To update Cargoes, that is, liftings, under a Cargo COA:
- On the Cargo COA, click
and then click Update Cargo.
- Change any setup options and click Update. The liftings appear below.
- Adjust the liftings as needed, then click OK to create the Cargoes.
CFGDefaultCargoStatus
Sets the default status of the linked liftings. If set to 1 when the user does not have rights to edit confirmed cargoes, the Status on the Create Cargo/VC In Setup form is set to Inquiry.
CFGConfirmLinkedLiftingsViaCOA
Updates the status of the linked liftings from their current state (for example, Default) to Confirmed once the status of the parent COA is changed from Pending to Confirmed.
CFGLinkCargoRefContractToCoa
Enables updating of the Ref Contract field (available when flag CFGEnableContractReferenceCompany is enabled) on the Cargo/VC In from the Cargo COA/VC In COA forms. COA-linked cargoes that have not been fixed inherit their Ref Contract from the COA.
CFGEnableCargoBooking
Enables the Cargo Booking form.
Exposure Tab
Config flag CFGEnableBenchmarkEstimate adds an Exposure tab to the Cargo COA. On this tab, you can enter information for the calculation of mark-to-market bunker exposure.
- Inbound: Synced with all linked liftings that have the Use Pricing From COA check box checked. For those Cargoes, the Inbound check box is not editable.
CFGEnableBenchmarkEstimate
In Estimate Details view, on the workspace menu 
, a Benchmark check box appears. To mark an Estimate as a Benchmark Estimate, select the check box. Benchmark Estimates must have exactly one cargo, and they cannot be fixed.
On Cargo COA and Cargo forms, an Exposure tab appears. If a cargo is linked to a Benchmark Estimate via the Exposure tab, the market rate is used as the TCE in the Benchmark Estimate and the $/ton rate back-calculates in the Trading Profit and Loss.
Properties Tab
On the Properties tab, when User Defined Fields applicable to a Cargo COA are set up in the Data Center, they can be selected here and values entered for them.
Rev/Exp Tab
On the Rev/Exp tab, you can enter information about any revenues and expenses that will be inherited by the cargo liftings under the Cargo COA.
To rebill port expenses that exceed a cap, or to credit port expenses that do not meet a collar, you can configure Port Expense Cap/Collar Groups either here or at the Cargo level.
- Under Port Expense Groups, click to add a row.
- In the Port Expense Cap/Collar form, define the functions and ports included and the cap and collar amounts and tolerance information. Select whether overage is billable and/or underage is creditable.
The overage or underage can be rebilled through Expenses Rebill Management. Individual cost types can be excluded from the amount being compared to the cap or collar by selecting Excl from Cap Collar on the Ledger Expense Setup form. Rebillable cost items are excluded by default.
Rebill Settings Tab
Occasionally, contracts are negotiated in which standard costs that are normally rebilled are absorbed instead. You can add these costs on the Cargo COA Rebill Settings tab to ensure that they are not mistakenly rebilled.
If a cost on the Rebill Settings tab is added to a voyage, it will not be rebilled. This affects both P&L and invoicing aspects of the voyage.
If a voyage includes multiple cargoes, and one or more of those cargoes overrides a normally rebillable standard cost, that override will be applied to all cargoes on the voyage.
- Rebill Settings will automatically be copied to each lifting in the COA.
Nomination Tasks Tab
The vessel and laycan nomination process for each COA can be defined as a set of default Nomination Tasks to be included in each lifting. On the Nomination Tasks tab, you can create Task templates that capture these contractual responsibilities.
Each row in the table defines a template, with a Nomination Task name and optional information. When COA liftings are created, a Task is added to each Cargo for each row in this tab, using the values entered.
- Offset values are relative to the start of Load Laycan.
- For example:
- If the initial Load Laycan Nomination Task is due from the charterer 45 days prior to load, set the Due Date Offset for that Task template to -45.
- To alert the charterer that the Task should be started 5 days before its Due Date, set the Reminder Offset to -50.
- If the Load Laycan changes, the Due Date and Reminder Date change along with it.
- For example:
- Task Categories are defined in the Data Center.
Planning Periods Tab
Configuration flag CFGEnableCOAPlanningPeriod enables Planning Periods. Because the quantities and liftings of a Cargo COA can extend over a long period of time, Planning Periods enable you to report their actuals by a time period you define. With this flag enabled, a lifting created from a COA must always belong to a Planning Period of the COA, and a COA must have at least one Planning Period before it can be saved.
Enabling this flag also:
- Adds a Planning Period column to the Linked Liftings tab.
- Adds a COA Period field to the Create New Voyage form for voyages created from a Cargo COA that uses Planning Periods. It defaults to the planning period that includes the date/time entered in the Commencing field; if no planning period includes that date/time, the field is blank.
- Adds a Planning Period field to the top of the Create Cargo Setup form. When you create Cargoes, you must select from the Planning Periods defined in the COA. Based on your selection:
- The Number of Cargoes defaults to the liftings remaining in the period.
- The Total Qty defaults to the quantity remaining for the period.