Bunkers & operating costs
Fuel, lubricants, stores, spares and services on deferred terms — the vessel's largest running costs, funded to match its earnings.
Trade finance origination
Working capital for the shipping industry — structured around how vessels actually trade.
Marine Trade Finance arranges financing for the running costs of the fleet — bunkers, port and canal costs, stores and equipment — for shipowners, operators and charterers, through a network of specialist funding partners.
What we do
Working capital, structured around the voyage
A vessel earns when it trades, but its costs fall due before the freight is collected. We arrange financing for those costs — bunkers, port disbursements, agency and canal dues, stores and equipment — so a shipowner or operator can align outgoings with the vessel's earning cycle. Our team works with a panel of funding partners, matching each client to the structure and lender that fits the vessel, the trade and the timeline.
Port, agency & canal transits
Disbursements, agency accounts and Suez or Panama tolls — covered before freight or hire is collected.
Vessel equipment
Decarbonisation and retrofit projects, funded over the working life of the asset rather than a single yard invoice.
Who we finance
Built around how your business actually trades
Shipowners, operators and charterers
Payment terms that follow the vessel's cash flow
Bunkers, stores, spares and services funded so that outgoings sit alongside the vessel's earning cycle rather than the supplier's invoice date. Port disbursements, agency and husbandry costs, and canal transit dues — including Suez and Panama — covered before the freight or hire is collected.
Discuss vessel fundingBunker suppliers, agents and chandlers
Turn invoices on owners into working capital
For the physical suppliers, fuel traders, ship agents, ship chandlers and port service providers who invoice shipowners and operators — outstanding invoices become cash now, including confidential structures where the relationship with the buyer requires it.
Discuss a receivables lineWhy Marine Trade Finance
Financing isn't just capital.
It's knowing the trade.
We work exclusively in shipping and maritime services — bunkers, agency, chandlery, port services and canal transits. We understand the vessel, the cycles and the risk profile.
- A funding panel, not a single lender — each deal matched to the right partner
- Deals scoped, packaged and presented to funders quickly
- Confidential and non-notification structures where the buyer relationship requires it
For partners and investors
The receivable, in plain terms
Every facility MTF originates sits against a defined underlying transaction: fuel delivered, port costs incurred, agency services rendered. The debtor is an identified commercial shipping company. The tenor is fixed at origination. The receivable extinguishes itself when the debtor pays — there is no residual, no renewal risk, and no dependency on the supplier's continued trading.
| Asset type | Short-tenor trade receivables — maritime sector |
| Underlying debtors | Shipowners, operators and charterers — worldwide |
| Tenor | 30 to 90 days |
| Origination basis | Delivery confirmed, invoice issued, debtor identified |
| Structure | Issued invoices financed — with or without notice to the debtor — and early-payment programmes on approved supplier invoices |
| Recourse | Non-recourse structures available against creditworthy debtors |
Services
Fund the voyage and the vessel
Four ways we put working capital behind a vessel's costs, arranged through our panel of specialist funding partners.
For owners, operators and charterers
Bunker Finance
Deferred payment for fuel — the vessel's single largest running cost. The supplier is paid on their own terms by a funding partner; you repay on terms set to match the trade, so the fuel is funded until the voyage earns.
Port, Agency & Transit Finance
Cover for the costs that fall due before freight or hire is collected: port disbursements, agency and husbandry accounts, towage, pilotage, provisions, and canal transit dues — including Suez Canal and Panama Canal transits, where the full toll is payable before the vessel moves.
Stores, Spares & Services Finance
Lubricants, provisions, spares, repairs and technical services supplied on deferred terms, so planned and unplanned vessel costs sit alongside the earning cycle rather than the supplier's invoice date.
Equipment & Retrofit Finance
Funding for decarbonisation and efficiency projects — shore power and OPS connections, exhaust gas and emissions equipment, ballast water treatment, energy-saving devices, hull and propulsion upgrades, engine conversions and dry dock retrofit packages — spread across the working life of the installation rather than falling on a single yard invoice.
For the suppliers who serve them
Receivables Finance
For bunker suppliers, fuel traders, ship agents, chandlers and port service providers: convert invoices issued to shipowners and operators into immediate working capital. Available with or without notification to the buyer, including confidential structures where the relationship requires it.
Estimate your working capitalOne buyer, multiple facilities
When a shipowner or operator is already financing bunkers through us, adding stores, port costs or agency accounts to the same facility is straightforward — because the buyer is the same and the earning cycle is the same. Outgoings are structured so repayment aligns with when freight or hire is collected, rather than with when each supplier sends their invoice.
One conversation. The right funder.
Tell us what the business needs and we scope it, package it and take it to the funding partner most likely to say yes — rather than pushing every client through a single product.
Start a conversationSector focus
Shipping and maritime services only. We know the vessel, the cycles and the risk profile.
Speed
Deals are scoped, packaged and presented to funders quickly, because delay costs our clients working capital.
Beyond the invoice
Where a client needs an asset rather than liquidity — retrofits, shore power, equipment — we structure that funding as well.
Risk & compliance
Discipline before capital
Diligence and structure come before funding, not after — so every facility protects the funding partner's capital and the client's own relationships.
Structured
Deals are built by maritime operators — documentation that lines up, the right structure, and terms that fit how the vessel actually trades.
Screened
Counterparties, beneficial owners and vessels are screened against OFAC, EU, UN and UK sanctions lists before any deal funds.
Identified
Each receivable sits against an identified commercial debtor and a delivered transaction — no blind risk.
Company
Operators who structure, structurers who operate
Marine Trade Finance is a trade finance origination firm focused on the shipping and maritime services sector. We work alongside a panel of specialist funding partners to arrange financing for a vessel's running costs — bunkers, port disbursements, agency and canal dues, stores, spares and services — for shipowners, operators and charterers, and to turn the invoices their suppliers issue into working capital.
The same panel funds the capital side of the fleet, where owners need equipment for maritime decarbonisation, retrofits and efficiency upgrades without committing the cash up front.
Our team brings direct operating experience in shipping and bunker markets, combined with trade finance structuring expertise. That combination means we can assess a deal the way an operator would, then package it the way a funder needs to see it.
The approach
Liquidity shouldn't wait
for the voyage to end.
Most shipping finance is designed around how banks work, not around how vessels trade. Bunkers are paid before the cargo earns. Port costs fall due before hire is collected. Suppliers invoice on 30-day terms but wait 90. Marine Trade Finance exists to fix that timing problem — structuring working capital around the actual rhythm of the trade, not the calendar on a bank's system.
FAQ
Questions we're asked
How the financing works, who qualifies, and how we handle vessel and counterparty compliance.
What does Marine Trade Finance do?
We originate and structure financing for the running costs of ships — bunkers, port disbursements, agency and canal dues, stores, spares and equipment — for shipowners, operators and charterers, and we turn the invoices their suppliers issue into working capital. We arrange the facility; the money comes from a panel of specialist funding partners.
Do you provide the financing yourselves?
No. Marine Trade Finance is an origination and advisory firm, not a bank or lender. We structure each deal and place it with the funding partner best suited to the vessel, the trade and the jurisdiction, on a best-efforts basis. Financing is provided by third-party funding partners, and we are not a party to the facility agreement between the client and the funder.
Which costs and transactions can you finance?
Vessel operating costs (bunkers, lubricants, stores, spares and repairs), voyage costs (port disbursements, agency and husbandry accounts, and Suez or Panama canal tolls), equipment and retrofit projects, and the receivables owed to bunker suppliers, agents and chandlers. Tenors typically run 30 to 90 days, set to match the vessel's earning cycle.
How do you handle vessel and counterparty compliance?
Before any facility funds, we screen the counterparties and their beneficial owners against OFAC, EU, UN and UK sanctions lists, and we check the vessel's compliance — flag, IMO number, ownership, classification and P&I cover, and trading history — against the same lists. Higher-risk routes and jurisdictions are handled with enhanced due diligence. If sanctions or KYC/AML screening is not clear, the deal does not proceed.
Is security or collateral always required?
The receivable itself is the primary security — a delivered transaction against an identified commercial debtor. Non-recourse structures are available against creditworthy debtors. What else is required depends on the debtor, the tenor and the structure.
How long does the process take?
Once we have the documents and the counterparties clear diligence and sanctions screening, we scope, package and present the deal to funders quickly — delay costs our clients working capital. Timing depends on how complete the information is and on the outcome of KYC, AML and sanctions checks. No facility is committed until those are satisfied, funder approval is granted and final documentation is signed.
Which markets do you cover?
Shipping and maritime services worldwide, with hands-on operating experience across West Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Every facility remains subject to due diligence, funder approval and final documentation.
The team
Fernando Tirado
Founder
Fernando Tirado has worked in shipping, bunkering and trade finance for over 20 years. His experience covers EMEA, MENA and the Americas, across bunker supply, ship operations and cross-border trade. He previously built and exited a company in the sector, funded without external capital. He founded Marine Trade Finance to bring that operating perspective to how vessel trade is financed.
Marine Trade Finance originates and structures each transaction, then places it with external funders according to debtor profile, tenor and jurisdiction.
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Got a question?
Tell us about your business and we'll come back to you within one business day — whether you're an owner, an operator, a charterer or a supplier to the fleet.