Chartering Starships

[Kilgs]

What is the general cost? I know I've read it multiple places but can't think of where for the life of me!

 

[McPerth]

TTB, page 53:

Charters: Non-starships charter for Crl per ton per hour, usually with a 12-hour minimum. Charter price for a starship is computed based on its revenue generating capacity. Starships are chartered in 2-week blocks; the charge is Cr900 per ton of cargo hold plus Cr9,000 per high passage berth and Cr900 per low passage berth. The owner pays all overhead and supplies a crew

See that at those rates (based on passenger staterooms and cargo capacity), though, chartering a non-comercial ship could be quite cheap, so I guess this only applies for comercial ones...

 

[Timerover51]

TTB, page 53:

Charters: Non-starships charter for Crl per ton per hour, usually with a 12-hour minimum. Charter price for a starship is computed based on its revenue generating capacity. Starships are chartered in 2-week blocks; the charge is Cr900 per ton of cargo hold plus Cr9,000 per high passage berth and Cr900 per low passage berth. The owner pays all overhead and supplies a crew

See that at those rates (based on passenger staterooms and cargo capacity), though, chartering a non-comercial ship could be quite cheap, so I guess this only applies for comercial ones...

Has anyone crunched the numbers on these rates to make sure that the ship covers all of its fixed and variable costs?

I will have to look up in my Real World Chartering books as to what is charged for ship chartering. In 2002, in the PT-109 expedition, National Geographic paid $50,000 per day for every day the Gray Scout was on site.

There are a couple of different chartering contracts. One is Bare-Boat charter, where the chartering party gets the ship, but has to supply and pay the crew and all other costs, including insurance. That is the most favorable for the ship owner, as all risks are assumed by the chartering party.

 

[aramis]

Has anyone crunched the numbers on these rates to make sure that the ship covers all of its fixed and variable costs?

I've checked the math for MGT for what the prices should be for carried cargo...

Drive Rating ______ 1G ______ 2G ______ 3G _______ 4G _______ 5G _______ 6G ______ J1*
Charged Ton Cost __ 40 ______ 65 ______ 95 ______ 175 ______ 275 ______ 705 _____ 700.00
Cost, HP SO ______ 575 _____ 725 _____ 900 ____ 1,325 ____ 1,925 ____ 3,850 ___ 7,500.00
Cost, MP SO ______ 495 _____ 625 _____ 780 ____ 1,155 ____ 1,680 ____ 3,375 ___ 4,300.00
Cost, HP DO ______ 395 _____ 485 _____ 590 ______ 845 ____ 1,205 ____ 2,360 ___ 9,000.00
Cost, MP DO ______ 315 _____ 385 _____ 470 ______ 675 ______ 960 ____ 1,885 ___ 5,600.00

These are per day, not per hour.

Next is days travel before cost exceeds J1

Drive Rating ______ 1G ______ 2G ______ 3G _______ 4G _______ 5G _______ 6G ______ J1*
Days, Cargo _______ 17.50 ___ 10.80 ____ 7.40 _____ 4 ________ 2.50 _____ 1 _______ 7
Days, HPSO ________ 13.00 ___ 10.30 ____ 8.30 _____ 5.70 _____ 3.90 _____ 1.90 ____ 7
Days, MPSO _________ 8.70 ____ 6.90 ____ 5.50 _____ 3.70 _____ 2.60 _____ 1.30 ____ 7
Days, HPDO ________ 22.80 ___ 18.60 ___ 15.30 ____ 10.70 _____ 7.50 _____ 3.80 ____ 7
Days, MPDO ________ 17.80 ___ 14.50 ___ 11.90 _____ 8.30 _____ 5.80 _____ 3 _______ 7

And AU coverable in that time.

Drive Rating ______ 1G ______ 2G ______ 3G _______ 4G _______ 5G _______ 6G ______ J1*
AU, Cargo _________ 38.20 ___ 29.10 ____ 20.49 ____ 7.98 _____ 3.90 _____ 0.75 
AU, HPSO __________ 21.08 ___ 26.47 ____ 25.78 ___ 16.21 _____ 9.49 _____ 2.70 
AU, MPSO ___________ 9.44 ___ 11.88 ____ 11.32 ____ 6.83 _____ 4.22 _____ 1.26 
AU, HPDO __________ 64.85 ___ 86.32 ____ 87.61 ___ 57.13 ____ 35.09 ____ 10.81 
AU, MPSO __________ 39.53 ___ 52.46 ____ 53.00 ___ 34.38 ____ 20.98 _____ 6.74

I've not done it for CT...

 

[McPerth]

Has anyone crunched the numbers on these rates to make sure that the ship covers all of its fixed and variable costs?

I will have to look up in my Real World Chartering books as to what is charged for ship chartering. In 2002, in the PT-109 expedition, National Geographic paid $50,000 per day for every day the Gray Scout was on site.

There are a couple of different chartering contracts. One is Bare-Boat charter, where the chartering party gets the ship, but has to supply and pay the crew and all other costs, including insurance. That is the most favorable for the ship owner, as all risks are assumed by the chartering party.

I havn't. I was just answering where can he find it and literally quoting the paragraph.

In any case, for starships, this means earning 90% of the maximum income you can expect from your ship (mail and incidentals excluded), so it should cover the expenses for any ship that can do it at 90% full.

As you can hardly expect to have all your hold full and all your passenger staterooms hired by hi-passengers at all jumps, I guess most ship owners will be glad to earn this 90%...

 

[jec10]

I've long assumed that chartering is how most mercenary outfits in the OTU get to their jobs.

Seems far more practical than owning a multi-megacredit starship or two that you have to pay maintenance on and crew even while sitting idle waiting for the next Ticket.

 

[whartung]

I've long assumed that chartering is how most mercenary outfits in the OTU get to their jobs.

Seems far more practical than owning a multi-megacredit starship or two that you have to pay maintenance on and crew even while sitting idle waiting for the next Ticket.

Not so much how they get their jobs, as to how they get TO their jobs.

But, story wise, in the end, whether the patron supplies the charter or the company organizes it, the actual amount is (mostly) irrelevant. The company is going to pass the cost along to the client anyway so as not to affect the bottom line. As a story element, it doesn't matter who charters the ship if it doesn't show up on time.

 

[Kilgs]

I've long assumed that chartering is how most mercenary outfits in the OTU get to their jobs.

Seems far more practical than owning a multi-megacredit starship or two that you have to pay maintenance on and crew even while sitting idle waiting for the next Ticket.

That is, in fact, why I asked the question ;-) Converting Battletech mercenary contract stuff to Traveller since it's the only coherent one that I've found in RPG land. But the transport numbers are based on BT tech.

I'll be running a test soon but it looks good. Also, BT allows for payment of the crew while in transit (roundtrip). As for why mercs have their own ships... well, unlike in BT, you can't order supplies from anywhere and have them delivered. Your own ship is the only way to get resupplied in the field in most situations.

Only problem is most merc ships have barracks or berths...

Right now, the equation is roughly (Maintenance+salaries+undiscovered variable to cover fuel/size). Thought I would try the charter rate instead of that clunky equation since it covers fuel also.

 

[Kilgs]

Think I may have come across a compromise as charters are way too expensive for a mercenary outfit. And that compensation rate is really high for those individuals who do own their own ships.

MGT 2.0 has a Steerage/Basic passage rate of 2200cr/J1 and 2900cr/J2 etc. In the ATU for this merc idea, FTL is limited to J2 and every drive is capable of that. So 2600cr seems a reasonable rate of compensation given that it is assumed the outfit will make haste/least jumps in getting there.

Add in a freight rate of 1500cr per tonnage dedicated to combat vehicles and military equipment (no personal stuff, non-mission equipment compensation). This includes any small craft/Dropship used for insertion/mission-ready.

Variable is per Jump (not parsec). Assuming J2 whenever possible. Also round-trip because no one wants mercenaries hanging around.

That leaves the Transportation Compensation Base (which employers will rarely pay 100%) as:

BASE COMPENSATION=Jumps*((Personnel*2600cr)+(Materiel tonnage*1500cr)).

That still seems really high... the combat portion of the contract is cheaper than the travel compensation (if at 100%)! But there is no other way to make merc work even marginally profitable. It should be stated that compensation for transportation is a negotiable contract term. And many employers offer Full Transportation, which uses their own ships, to avoid the costs. So it may work out.
====
Mission is 4 parsecs (2 Jumps/4 round-trip) away.

To transport 1 squad of infantry (10), a lance of Exoarmor (4x6dt PA), 1 doctor, and 1 technician. (16 personnel) and their vehicles/equipment plus two cutters for dropships (192dt)=1.318Mcr (round trip)

>Contract reimburses at 80% (1,054,720cr).
>The combat contract is for 3 months and totals (754,272cr).
~1.8 Mcr

That's a lot of money! The dropships/cutters (50dt) really put it through the roof. But they are a definite asset so I don't want to get rid of their compensation...

 

[McPerth]

See that this would be Traveller version dependent...

I mean, in CT low berths are out of question, as the death rate make them impractical to move a Merc unit. In MT, as the death rate is negligible, and most people having ill effects would be recovered in a matter of days at most, low berths are a true possibility, and this lowers the cost to Cr1000 per trooper and jump (a 40% of what you say in steerage).

For other versions (MgT included) I canot tell, as I'm not sure of the risk low berths involve...

 

[Kilgs]

Steerage isn't Low Passage in MGT 2.0 and Clement Sector.

Basic Passage: For those not willing to risk low berths, the option of basic passage, or steerage as it is often
called, exists. Staterooms will be shared (typically four people to a stateroom in bunks) or, on some less
scrupulous ships, areas in the cargo bay or engineering will be set aside for very basic accommodation and services (which may only extend to two meals a day
and meagre washroom facilities). This requires 2 tons of spare room on the spacecraft, a resilient personality
on the part of the passenger, and comes with a 10kg baggage allowance.

 

[McPerth]

Steerage isn't Low Passage in MGT 2.0 and Clement Sector.

Yes, I understand that, but what I meant was that, depending on the version you're playing, low passage might be a better option when moving troops (be them mercs or not).

 

[kilemall]

I would summarize the CT chartering rule as effectively '90% of the ships' conventional earning potential during charter period'.


Of course the real money is in speculation or 'extralegal' activities, so that has to be factored, by player owners but also by referees who have to figure out what the going rate would be for heading into a dangerous area.


I would also probably add +10% per jump number above one.