Prompt ship (Ppt). This expression means a vessel can be ready to load at short notice, say, within a few days.
A prompt vessel will generally command a higher rate compared with a ship giving later readiness.
A vessel can give prompt readiness if she has been dispatched in ballast “on speculation” or in case owners have postponed fixing her for subsequent employment after completion of discharge of inward cargo.
It entirely depends, of course, upon the expectations of owners about the future trend of the freight market, whether they will let .the vessel run “prompt” or not. The phrase can also be used by a charterer’s agent to an owner’s broker to indicate that the “laycan” should start very soon.
