Small Handy
The small handy segment showed mixed performance over the past week, highlighting the ongoing gap between owners’ expectations and charterers’ ideas across various routes. On the Inner Sea to Far East route, gypsum cargoes were reported fixed below USD 10 per ton, while owners continued to indicate low-teens requirements. On the same route, PKS was heard trading around the low USD 20s per ton, still well below owners’ high USD 20s targets. Within the Inner Sea, charterers were aiming at high-teens levels for PKS, while a 20,000 mt fertilizer parcel was fixed at low-teens levels. Additional activity included a 10,000 mt petcoke cargo from Thailand to South China fixed in the low to mid-teens. In the Indian region, a 12,000 mt bulk clay shipment from Kandla to Chittagong was reported fixed in the low to mid USD 20s per ton, underscoring comparatively firmer freight levels in that area.
Handysize
The Handysize market presented a broadly mixed picture, with several regions remaining stable while others showed early signs of strengthening. The BHSI rose by 7 points to 636, while the 7TC average increased by USD 115 to USD 11,444 per day. In the Continent and Mediterranean, activity remained limited, although rate levels edged slightly firmer. The South Atlantic and U.S. Gulf continued to post positive momentum, supported by firmer bids and offers that reflected improving market confidence. Across Asia, trading activity was muted overall, though some tightening of tonnage in the North Pacific provided modest support. With the Lunar New Year approaching, cargo availability in the Pacific has become increasingly scarce. Vessels of around 28,000 DWT were reported fixed at approximately USD 7,500 per day, delivery APS.
Supramax
The Atlantic Supramax/Ultramax market turned firmer across the board, with rates moving into positive territory on the back of fresh cargo from the Continent and South America. Ultramax vessels were heard discussed around USD 15,500 per day for scrap trips into the Mediterranean, while fronthaul demand improved materially, with rate ideas firming toward USD 15,000 plus a USD 500,000 ballast bonus for grain cargoes on 58,000 DWT vessels. In contrast, the Pacific market remained under pressure, particularly in Southeast Asia, due to reduced Indonesian coal enquiry, with most cargoes continuing to flow into Southeast Asia and India rather than China. Fixtures included a 56,000 DWT vessel open Singapore fixed at USD 9,000 per day for a trip to East India, and a 61,000 DWT vessel open Sulawesi Bay fixed at USD 8,750 per day for a trip back to the CJK range. The North Pacific saw a short-term firming, supporting Ultramax rates around USD 12,000 per day passing Busan, while backhaul steel cargoes were covered at around USD 8,000 per day for Mediterranean–Continent redelivery on Supramax tonnage. In the Indian Ocean, sentiment remained supported by cargoes from the Persian Gulf and South Africa, with a 56,000 DWT Supramax fixed at USD 12,000 per day for a PG to West India limestone voyage, while Ultramax levels were heard around USD 16,000 plus USD 160,000 for trips via Port Elizabeth to Pakistan or East India.
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