The growing sector of commercial management of shipping is currently witnessing a shift: technological development is increasing flexibility and transparency, qualities that most companies are now embracing. Because of this, more owners are nowadays opting for pools.
This renewed attention toward transparency is leading enterprises to appreciate the higher level of information that pools can offer due to their collaborative structure. It is also worth mentioning how, over the past years, pools have improved to provide higher levels of flexibility with a minimum time commitment. It also can't be forgotten how pools have proven to be the best places to trade spots, considerably outperforming indices.
Truth be told, there are few alternatives to pools, especially for small size owners who are more likely to be exposed to the pure luck of being in the right place at the right time. To name one, one could fix an index-linked period charter; however, this would mean losing any direct control of one's asset. Another alternative could be to collect a fleet of ships and become a mini-pool.
There is also to consider that travel expenses can sometimes become inaccessible for standalone owners. On the contrary, a properly managed pool could take part of the burden of costs from the owners' shoulders, allowing them to take higher-earning voyage opportunities.
A fundamental point for the further development of successful pools will surely be how to handle decarbonization processes. In this sense, PNZ strongly believes that pools can play an important role as they have the ability to financially support retrofits by anticipating part of the future fuel savings and therefore become an important driver for decarbonization.
In addition, pools, in partnerships with partners like PNZ, can widen their service range and develop carbon-neutral services for their clients.