A
shipowner is the owner of a
merchant vessel (commercial
ship). In the commercial sense of the term, a shipowner is someone who equips and exploits a ship, usually for delivering
cargo at a certain
freight rate, either as a per freight rate (given price for the transport of a certain cargo between two given ports) or based on hire (a rate per day). Shipowners typically hire a licensed
crew and
captain rather than take charge of the vessel in person. Usually the shipowner is organized through a
company, but also people and
investment funds can be ship owners. If owned by a
ship company, the shipowner usually performs
technical management of the vessel through the company, though this can also be
outsourced or relayed onto the shipper through
bareboat charter.