Freight idea. When this phrase is used in a communication from one shipbroker to another during negotiations for a charter, it is used by an owner’s broker to indicate the desirable level of freight or the intended level of freight a charterer would be prepared to pay (when the phrase is used by a charterer’s broker). It is a preliminary to more serious negotiations before the ship is fixed. The freight idea, from either side, can form the foundation of Voyage Estimating. The parties can then use the information to compare what other owners or charterers are considering so as to take up the best employment for the ship.
