The Baltic Exchange, the world’s independent source of maritime market data, has issued its reports for the last week, 25-29 January 2021, to provide information of the tanker and bulk market performance. The information is used by shipbrokers, owners & operators, traders, financiers and charterers as a reliable and independent view of the dry and tanker markets.
Tankers
-VLCC
- The VLCC sector saw rates pretty much static this week with ‘earnings’ ever so slightly up.
- In the Middle East, 280,000mt to US Gulf via the Cape/Cape routing were unchanged at W18/18.5 level and 270,000mt to China ticked up a single point to WS32.5 level (just about a positive TCE).
- In the Atlantic region, rates for 260,000mt West Africa to China hovered around WS32.5, whilst rates for 270,000mt US Gulf to China gained close to $80k to settle around $4.3m.
-Suezmax
- In the 135,000mt Black Sea/Med market we saw rates climb a further seven points to now be assessed around WS70-72.5 level (about $7,000/day).
- The West African market, meanwhile, again saw the biggest increase where 130,000mt Nigeria/UK Continent rates climbed more than 7.5 points to between 67.5-70 level (about $13,000 per day).
- In the 140,000mt Basrah/Med market, rates firmed two points to WS20-21 region.
-Aframax
- The 100,000mt Baltic/UK-Continent rates dipped two more points to WS58 (about $1,700 per day)
- . On the other side of the Atlantic, the market eased with rates for 70,000mt Carib to US Gulf falling five points to about WS82.5/85 level (just below $3k/day TCE).
- For the 70,000mt US Gulf to UK Continent trip, rates fell back three points to a fraction below WS73.
-Clean
- In the 55,000mt trade, the market is still hovering at, or very close to, mid WS70s. In the 35,000mt AG/East Africa trade, the start of the week saw rates readjust down 8.5 points to WS140.
- In the Middle East Gulf/Japan trade, charterers have held the upper hand and owners have seen rates eroded further with 75,000mt to Japan easing around 2.5 points to low WS70s.
- In the 30,000mt cross-Mediterranean trade, a slower week and lack of weather delays saw rates readjust downwards from low WS160s to sit now in the very low WS 150s.
Bulk carriers
-Capesize
- Dropping -8,956 over the course of the week the Capesize 5TC settled at $15,675.
- The Atlantic Basin routes were the big movers with the Transatlantic C8, in particular, coming under fire. It posted down to $23,250 as a lack of cargo took its toll.
- The Pacific Basin, with an abundance of cargo to go along with available vessels, allowed charterers to continually apply downward pressure with the West Australia to Qingdao C5 dropping -1.728 by weeks end to $6.145
-Panamax
- A $13,250 figure was achieved early in the week for a NoPac round trip.
- News of ships waiting off China with thermal coal being given permission to discharge began to seep through. But this conceivably will only add to tonnage count in the area, potentially further increasing pressure here.
- In the Atlantic, it also began the week slowly with varying degrees of rates being concluded.
-Ultramax/Supramax
- A 56,000-dwt sizes open in the Indian Ocean seeing $14,000 for three to five months, whilst a 58,000-dwt open China fixed at $11,500 for one year.
- A 56,000-dwt fixing from Norway via the Baltic to the Black Sea in the $16,000s and a 57,000-dwt fixing in the low $20,00s for a trip from central Mediterranean via the Black Sea to China.
- From south east Asia, a 56,000-dwt open Manila was fixed for a trip via Indonesia redelivery China at $11,500.
-Handysize
- Both east coast South America and the US Gulf remained, whilst the rates moved sharply higher towards the weekend in the East with all three Pacific routes now being above $10,000.
- A 37,000-dwt delivery in Southwest Pass was fixed for a trip to Algeria at $16,000 in the middle of the week.
- A 33,000-dwt open east Mediterranean was fixed for a trip via the Black Sea to west Mediterranean at $17,250.
