Full Release rebalanced harbor trading and changed the cost of automatically completing a Free Trade operation: the price now reflects the cargo still remaining. Read the amount at confirmation time. A cost remembered from an earlier job is not a reliable quote for a different load.
Before you trade: match goods to the vessel
The official update history says the ship menu displays which cargo types a selected vessel can transport. The trading screen also explains that some goods can only be transported using the Big Trip. Check these compatibility labels before you buy. A ship can have unused total capacity and still be unable to accept a particular cargo type or trip arrangement.
Patch #5.0 also addressed uneven container distribution on the Big Trip: purchases can succeed with an asymmetric load across its two cargo sections as long as enough overall capacity is available. This is useful when a trade fails despite a plausible total-capacity calculation, but the purchase screen remains the final check. The notes do not provide one fixed maximum load for every vessel and cargo combination.
| If the trade screen… | Check this first |
|---|---|
| Does not offer a good you expected | Check the active ship's cargo types and whether that good needs the Big Trip. |
| Rejects a purchase despite apparent free space | Compare total capacity and the distribution across cargo sections. Patch #5.0 changed the Big Trip rule for asymmetric loads. |
| Offers a loading service | Review the cost and confirmation dialog before choosing it. The service loads or unloads compatible containers automatically, but it is paid. |
| Has no attractive stock | Read the displayed market-rotation timer and plan around the next refresh. Offers refresh periodically. |
| Says another trade or shift is active | Finish or review that activity before trying to start a second one. Full Release added clearer feedback for this state. |
Full-release cost and recovery decisions
Automatic completion and the paid container loading service are different decisions. The loading service loads or unloads compatible containers; its confirmation shows a cost. Automatic completion closes out a Free Trade operation, and in the September 24 version its price is calculated from the remaining cargo. Before accepting either option, identify which action the dialog names, how much cargo remains, and the amount shown. Do not assume the two buttons perform the same work or share a fixed fee.
If you have already handled some cargo manually, review the operation before paying to complete the rest. The new pricing rule makes the remaining load relevant. The announcement does not publish a formula, a minimum fee or a universally profitable point at which to switch from manual handling, so the useful comparison is the cost the game currently offers versus the work left on that particular job.
If a new trade will not start, read the message before changing ships or making another purchase. Full Release improved feedback when a different trade or Work Shift is still active. That is a different situation from an incompatible cargo type or insufficient capacity. Check the active activity first; if none is shown, then return to the ship's cargo labels, the goods' trip requirement and the market offer. This order prevents chasing the wrong cause of a blocked button.
Full Release also addressed extra containers appearing in trade and unloading situations, cancellation calculations, partial LNG settlement and several crane or loading-plan issues. These are fixes, not a promise that every interrupted job can be recovered without loss. If you are returning to a saved cargo job, inspect its current cargo count and objective before buying or moving goods. The official September 24 notes are the reference for the changed behavior.
Use the harbor schedule instead of guessing
The official hotfix expanded the harbor schedule to four weeks, highlights deliveries, and lets you select a future day directly. The game displays a confirmation before advancing time. That makes the schedule useful for planning deliveries and deciding whether to wait, but time skipping is an in-game choice with consequences for the calendar. Review the selected date and confirmation before proceeding.
The market screen also displays the remaining time until a port's inventory rotates. That timer is a better guide than assuming every harbor refreshes at the same hour. Keep a note of the port and the time shown if you are comparing offers; the update notes do not publish one universal rotation interval.
Work Shifts: two rewards, two checkpoints
Work Shifts can be combined with the independent career added in the Career Update. The Co-op Crew Update changed when their payment arrives and added a separate Reputation interaction at mission end:
- Complete a shift.
- Receive that shift's payment after it ends.
- At the end of the mission, review the shift claims.
- Claim shifts you manually completed if you want the additional Reputation described in the official update.
The distinction matters: getting paid after a shift does not mean its extra Reputation has already been claimed. The published update ties that Reputation to manually completed shifts and claiming them at mission end. It does not publish an amount for each shift in the notes used here, so check the result screen for your actual save.
This can make a longer session useful when you want to complete several tasks before going through the mission-end claim flow. It is not a promise that leaving every job until the end maximizes money or Reputation; the direct payment checkpoint is after each completed shift. Use the on-screen summary to see which shifts the game considers complete and claimable.
A low-risk trading routine
- Start with a harbor offer that clearly matches the ship you are using.
- Check the cargo type, trip requirement and total capacity before buying.
- Note the market timer if the current selection is poor.
- Use the four-week harbor schedule to look ahead at deliveries; verify any selected day before confirming a time skip.
- If loading or unloading manually would take longer than you want, compare the paid service cost with the value of the task before selecting it.
- If you choose automatic Free Trade completion, read the live price and remaining cargo before confirming.
- If a new transaction is blocked, check for an active trade or shift before assuming the ship is incompatible.
- After a shift, confirm the payment message; at mission end, separately review and claim the manually completed shifts for Reputation.
These checks are intended to catch interface and compatibility mismatches. They are not a guaranteed profit route. The official notes say that Free Trade prices were adjusted and that some goods were added, but they do not provide a fixed route with reliable margins or current prices. Prices can change; use the current market display.
Cargo and trading changes confirmed by the updates
The August 2026 update added LNG and bulk cargo to Free Trade between major harbors and adjusted prices for several goods. The same patch clarified cargo compatibility, showed market rotation time, added paid automatic loading and unloading for compatible containers, and increased container availability. Full Release then rebalanced the economy and changed automatic-completion pricing. These updates are why older advice about cargo availability or a fixed completion cost may no longer match the current interface.
A good check when comparing advice is to ask whether it mentions the ship's cargo menu, the Big Trip, the market timer and the cost confirmation for loading. If a guide predates those interface changes, verify its steps in your build. For longer-term unlock choices, see Career and Reputation; for port entry help, see Docking and Towing.
Frequently asked questions
When do I receive Work Shift pay?
The August update says payment is provided after each completed shift, instead of only at the end of a mission.
How do I get the extra Work Shift Reputation?
The published notes say to claim manually completed shifts at mission end. Check the end-of-mission screen for the shifts the game marks as eligible.
Why can a purchase fail when my ship has space?
The goods may be incompatible with the selected vessel, may require the Big Trip, or may need a different cargo distribution. Review the ship menu and trading explanation.
Is there a best port or guaranteed profit route?
No fixed route or current price table is confirmed by the official notes used here. Market offers rotate; compare what your game displays rather than relying on an old margin.
Check the current market and shift screen
Use the cargo labels, market timer, active-activity message and result screen shown in your game; prices and availability can change. The official update history lists the full-release trade and Work Shift changes.
