A shipping company and Internet service provider have launched a unique shipping industry portal which combines up-to-the-minute information, interpretation of the bulk shipping markets and sophisticated on-line applications. Guided by a sassy cyber-babe, tshipping.com is causing ripples in the conservative world of shipping as it provides instant access to information usually guarded protectively by shipping companies and brokers.

The site, launched by two Scottish companies, claims to be the first of its kind in this field, boasts no multi-million dollar backing, no extravagant marketing budget, is not burning money and yet is a sophisticated and informative portal in the industry. The focus of everything on tshipping has been utility. The result is a relaxed, user friendly coffee-shop environment in which anyone can find out what's happening in the shipping markets whenever they want on-line.

The site includes a fast voyage calculation facility for dry, wet and gas freight, which allows even those without shipping expertise to run shipping calculations. In addition grids of hundreds of current and projected freight rates on key routes around the globe are on display and continuously updated to reflect changes in market conditions. There is a handy investment calculator to calculate the returns on purchasing a ship.

There are also market news feeds supplied by shipping insiders, a data channel of charts, shipping news gathered from around the net and a derivatives bulletin board.