Looking for SeaRates for Offshore Vessels? Here's Why You Won't Find It
SeaRates, part of DP World since 2020, is one of the largest freight rate search engines in the world — but it's built for container, road, and air cargo, not offshore vessel chartering. If you're searching for offshore vessel data and landed on SeaRates, here's the honest picture: this is a freight marketplace for shippers and forwarders, not a tool for sourcing a PSV or CSV.
SeaRates vs Seavium at a glance
SeaRates | Seavium | |
|---|---|---|
Pricing model | Tiered subscription plans by shipment volume, plus commission on bookings; a free tariff-search tier is available | Subscription-based SaaS, offshore-focused |
Key features | Freight rate comparison and booking (FCL/LCL container, plus road and air via LandRates and AirRates), container/air tracking, Digital Freight Alliance network of 1,000+ forwarders, API for rates and bookings | Self-serve offshore vessel search and intelligence, real-time market and pricing data, route planning with fuel cost estimation, automated alerts and workflow integrations |
Target users | Shippers, freight forwarders, and cargo owners moving containerized or multimodal freight | Offshore vessel operators and charterers specifically |
Platform type | Web, mobile app (iOS/Android), and API — part of the DP World digital logistics ecosystem | Web-based SaaS platform, offshore-focused |
Integrations | API for rates, schedules, bookings, and tracking; integrated with DP World's Cargoes and World Logistics Passport ecosystem | API and workflow integrations (e.g. Make.com automations) |
Support | Round-the-clock support, freight forwarder network | In-platform support, self-serve by design |
Why you won't find offshore chartering support at SeaRates
If you're an offshore charterer evaluating SeaRates, a few things are worth knowing before signing up.
Container and multimodal focus. SeaRates was built as a rate search engine for containerized cargo, later extending to road and air freight — not specialized vessel chartering.
A cargo matching feature exists, but that's not the core product. There's a general cargo-matching function for specialized vessels, but the platform's design center is container freight comparison and booking.
Backed by port and terminal infrastructure, not vessel market expertise. SeaRates' scale comes from DP World's global logistics network (129 business units, 55 countries) — a different kind of scale than deep offshore vessel market knowledge.
Different buyer, different job. SeaRates serves shippers and forwarders booking cargo space. Offshore charterers are sourcing and comparing available support vessels — a different transaction entirely.
What Seavium does — built for a different job entirely
Offshore-only. Seavium's entire platform — vessel data, specs, and search criteria — is built specifically for offshore vessel types.
Vessel sourcing, not cargo booking. Seavium is designed for finding and comparing available vessels for chartering, not comparing container freight rates.
Self-serve and continuous. Data is queryable directly and updates in real time.
Predictable subscription pricing designed for offshore chartering teams, not shipment-volume freight tiers.
SeaRates pricing breakdown
SeaRates offers a free tier for tariff searches, with tiered subscription plans priced by shipment volume and service usage for freight forwarding and logistics management, plus commission on certain bookings. Exact tier pricing is not publicly listed and depends on usage and services selected.
FAQ
Does SeaRates handle offshore vessel chartering?
No. SeaRates is a freight rate search and booking marketplace focused on container, road, and air cargo. A general cargo-matching feature exists for specialized vessels, but it isn't built for offshore vessel chartering.
Who owns SeaRates?
SeaRates was founded in 2005 and acquired by DP World in 2020, where it now operates as part of DP World's digital logistics ecosystem alongside Cargoes and the Digital Freight Alliance.
Is Seavium a competitor to SeaRates?
No meaningful overlap. SeaRates compares and books container and multimodal freight; Seavium sources and compares offshore support vessels. They serve different users solving different problems.
Where should offshore charterers look instead of SeaRates?
An offshore-specific chartering platform like Seavium, built around offshore vessel types and criteria, is a closer fit than a container freight marketplace with no offshore vessel focus.
Ready to see the difference?
Book a 30-minute walkthrough and see how Seavium's offshore vessel data compares to a container freight marketplace like SeaRates.