Ballast Voyage
A Ballast Voyage (or ballast leg) is a passage a ship makes without any revenue cargo on board — sailing empty (“in ballast”, using ballast water for stability) to reposition to its next loading port. It is the unavoidable flip side of a laden (cargo-carrying) voyage: after discharging, a ship often has to move empty to where its next cargo is.
Ballast voyages are a direct cost with no freight income, so minimising ballast time is central to voyage economics and fleet deployment. The relationship between the laden and ballast legs shapes profitability: owners and charterers assess the “triangulation” of voyages and seek backhaul cargoes to reduce empty steaming. Bunker consumption on ballast passages still counts, and carbon rules (CII) now put weight on emissions from these legs too. Ballast voyages relate closely to laycan (the ship must ballast to arrive within the window) and to the wider challenge of repositioning both ships and empty containers efficiently. Reducing unproductive ballast miles is a constant goal in shipping.
Every empty repositioning leg is cost with no income — so how much a ship must ballast between cargoes can make or break a voyage's profit. Owners chase backhaul cargoes and clever routing to cut ballast miles, and carbon rules now penalise the emissions too. Ballast voyages are a constant target in the economics and sustainability of shipping.
What is a ballast voyage?
A leg sailed empty, without revenue cargo, to reposition the ship to its next load port.
Why do owners try to minimise ballast voyages?
They cost fuel and time with no freight income, so reducing empty legs (e.g. with backhaul cargoes) improves voyage profitability.