| 摘要 |
A ship chartering system is implemented on a computer of telecommunications network (Fig. 15 - 30a), such as the Internet, and is meant to supplement or replace services offered by current shipping brokers. The system allows a charterer to locate acceptable ships (Fig. 15 - 1506), receive bids from ship owners (Fig. 15 - 1506), and negotiate contract terms for their cargo (Fig. 15 - 1506). Ship owners are able to update their ship positions and cargo capabilities (Fig. 15 - 1504), add new ships to a database of available ships (Fig. 15 - 47), and bid on the transportation of cargo entered by a charterer in an open market solicitation. In a preferred embodiment, both charterers and ship owners must subscribe to the system in order to access and participate in it.
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