Worldscale flat rate and differentials
How the flat rate is built, and what sits on the pink pages outside it.
The Worldscale flat rate is the nominal freight for a given voyage expressed in dollars per tonne, calculated for a standard vessel of 75,000 tonnes total capacity with a fixed daily hire element of USD 12,000 per day. WS100 means the freight equals that published rate.
Not everything fits inside the flat rate. Differentials on the pink pages carry costs that do not, with fixed differentials applied per tonne of the subscriber’s cargo size rather than the standard vessel’s, and variable differentials expressed as a dollar addition or deduction adjusted by the Worldscale equivalent. Charterers’ account items carry no allowance at all and are reimbursed by the charterer.
The full article will cover the flat rate build-up, the pink page structure, canal tolls as differentials, the laytime allowance and demurrage table at Preamble Part C, the emission control area allowances and their effective dates, and the circular regime.