What does Ballast Bonus mean?

Also known as repositioning fees. Refers to fees a shipowner charges a charterer to move an empty (ballast) vessel to the receiving liquefaction terminal, and are typically remitted as a lump-sum payment. What the market charges for ballast bonus depends on the available supply of LNG vessels. When vessel capacity utilization is high, owners are much more likely to receive a ballast bonus payment. When vessel capacity utilization is low, there may be no ballast bonus payment.