Stem date

Stem date is the date on which the cargo is confirmed and committed by the shipper or supplier for loading onto the nominated vessel, the date the ‘stem’ is fixed. The term comes from the bunker and bulk trades, where a stem is the confirmed quantity reserved for a particular lifting. It governs whether the cargo will be ready to meet the vessel’s laycan: a stem date later than the cancelling date signals the cargo will not be available in time. In voyage chartering the stem confirmation links the cargo nomination to the vessel’s arrival window.