Small Handy
The small handy segment showed mixed performance over the past week. Cargoes moving from Southeast Asia to the Far East, including HRC, T-chips and GGBFS, were reported trading in the mid-teens to low USD 20s per ton range. Within Southeast Asia, a 13,500-ton fertilizer shipment from Bintulu to Koh Sichang was heard fixed at similar levels. Meanwhile, owners were targeting high-teens for a 20,000-ton bagged cement cargo from Hon Gai to the Philippines. In the Indian region, scrap shipments from Asia to Chittagong continued to be discussed around the mid-USD 30s to low-USD 40s per ton, indicating relatively firm freight ideas for this trade.
Handysize
The Handysize market experienced a relatively quiet week across both basins, with overall trading activity remaining limited. Minor improvements were observed in the Continent and Mediterranean regions, where rates edged slightly firmer compared to previous levels. In contrast, the South Atlantic and U.S. Gulf faced increasing pressure as the tonnage list continued to expand while cargo availability remained thin.
Market sources indicated that the 37,888 DWT V Uno was reported on subjects for a trip from Recalada to Morocco at around USD 19,250 per day with Oldendorff. Similarly, the 37,927 DWT Ultra Tatio was heard on subjects for a voyage from Vila do Conde to Norway carrying alumina at levels around USD 19,000–19,750 per day with WBC.
In Asia, trading activity remained sluggish as both owners and charterers closely monitored developments surrounding bunker availability and rising fuel costs. Some traders and operators reportedly postponed shipments while awaiting greater price stability. A 28,000 DWT vessel open in North China was heard fixed for a Pacific round voyage at levels in the low USD 10,000s per day.
Supramax
The Supramax/Ultramax market ended the week on a softer tone, largely influenced by positional factors across the Asian region, while rising bunker prices continued to weigh on sentiment. In the North Pacific, cargo volumes have been gradually clearing, while Southeast Asia remained quieter but relatively stable.
Among reported fixtures, the 63,144 DWT Pac Alcor open Qingdao was fixed for a NOPAC round voyage at USD 16,500 per day, while the 60,948 DWT NM Sakura, open Shanghai 14–19 March, secured a similar NOPAC round trip at USD 17,000 per day. The 55,688 DWT Grampus Brave, open Singapore, was reportedly under consideration for a coal voyage from Indonesia to Cambodia at around USD 14,700 per day.
In the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, activity remained relatively firm. The 63,756 DWT Jade Prosperity open Port Elizabeth was fixed for a voyage with redelivery in Southeast Asia at USD 20,000 per day plus a USD 200,000 ballast bonus to Norden. Similarly, the 63,756 DWT Kiran Anatolia open Port Elizabeth or Richards Bay reportedly secured a trip to Sri Lanka at USD 19,000 per day plus a USD 190,000 ballast bonus.
Additional fixtures included the 63,250 DWT WW Nadia, delivering Abidjan, fixed via Owendo with redelivery in China carrying manganese ore at USD 22,000 per day. In Asia, the 56,623 DWT Glory Sea open Gresik was fixed via Indonesia to the Philippines at USD 17,000 per day, while the 53,456 DWT FLC Fortune open Singapore secured a voyage via Indonesia to China at USD 13,500 per day. Other reported activity included the 58,058 DWT Sandpiper fixed for a coal trip via Southeast Asia to China at around USD 9,000 per day, and the 56,930 DWT Makmur Sentani fixed ex-Weda for a nickel ore shipment to South China at USD 13,500 per day.
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