Chartering & Brokerage Practice Test 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

A Contract of Affreightment is set up to move a defined quantity of cargo over a period, using a series of voyages as needed to move that cargo. Because the focus is on delivering a cargo program rather than a single trip, one COA contract can cover multiple voyages under one agreement. This is what makes it possible for COA to include several voyage charters within the same deal, giving the charterer a steady pathway for moving the agreed cargo without renegotiating for each voyage.

Spot voyage charters, by contrast, arrange transportation for a single voyage—from origin to destination—on a one-off basis. They aren’t meant to create a long-running cargo program, which is why they don’t inherently cover multiple voyages.

A COA is not identical to a Time Charter. A Time Charter hires the vessel for a period of time, with the charterer exercising control over vessel usage and operations, while a COA is organized around moving cargo under a program. And a Spot Voyage Charter typically covers one voyage between loading and discharge ports; it’s not about a fixed cargo program across many ports or multiple voyages.