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GMS News
Firming Baltic Dry Index is Headwind for Recyclers
The single most consequential development of Week 15 came out of Washington, not the recycling yards, reports cash buyer GMS. President Trump’s decision to delay planned strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure by five days, alongside comments describing talks with Iran as “productive,” triggered the sharpest oil reversal since the conflict began.The Baltic Dry Index rose to 2,139 by April 8, continuing…
Ship Recyclers Face Clouded Price Recovery Outlook
Geopolitical risk has overtaken supply-demand fundamentals as the primary price driver in energy markets, and ship recycling is feeling the impact from both sides, as higher oil keeps aging vessels trading while a volatile U.S. dollar makes confident bidding difficult to sustain, says cash buyer GMS.India delivered the week’s most notable currency development, as the rupee rebounded sharply from its record low of 94.42 to 92.73 following intervention measures by the Reserve Bank of India…
Ship Recyclers Face Market Confusion
As the world's ship recycling markets emerge from the Eid al-Fitr holidays, they do so into an environment that continues to generate more questions than answers, says cash buyer GMS.“The post-holiday reopening, always anticipated as a potential catalyst for pent-up activity, has instead delivered something more characteristic of the broader 2026 narrative: confusion. Steel plate prices played opposite roles in Pakistan and India this week…
Ship Recycling Pauses for Eid
Eid al-Fitr has arrived to greet the world's ship recycling markets this week, and as is tradition, it came bearing the gift of silence, reports cash buyer GMS. “From Chattogram to Gadani, Alang to Aliağa, the holy festival has pressed pause on an industry that was already beginning to feel the compounding weight of war, currency volatility, and a stubborn absence of fresh tonnage offerings.”The ongoing conflict in the Middle East…
Volatility Challenges Ship Recyclers
As oil started to climb, freight followed suit, continuing to feed the already rising global inflation picture, while the U.S. Dollar wore the crown jewel of the week, rising notably against all of the major international ship recycling markets, says cash buyer GMS. At the same time, local steel plate prices saw another volatile week across several recycling destinations as currency fluctuations and…
GMS Calls on EU to Include Indian Recycling Yards on List
GMS, the world’s largest buyer of ships for recycling, has called on the European Commission to approve qualified Indian ship recycling facilities for inclusion on the European List under the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR).Despite more than 110 Indian yards holding Hong Kong Convention (HKC) Statements of Compliance issued by IACS member classification societies, over 35 formal applications submitted…
Ship Recycling Markets Stall
The chaos in the Middle East is leaving regional and international markets bracing for the inevitable whirlpool of global insanity that is about to suck the entire world into short-term (at the very least) tumult, reports cash buyer GMS.Oil was already on its way up during the week, but as the weekend came around, it spiked over 10%, jumping from around USD 63/barrel last week to nearly USD 71.90/barrel (at the time of writing).
A Welcome Change for the Ship Recycling Industry
International market turmoil from the direct / indirect imposition of global tariffs and related actions saw a crazy Week 8 wind up in 2026, as freight rates and oil prices both moved up and subsequently down, reports cash buyer GMS.As oil rose above USD 63/barrel from last week to well over USD 66/barrel this week, it retreated back down to USD 65.93/barrel by week’s end, amid investors and forecasters…
Ship Recycling Market Quiet Ahead of Chinese New Year
The second week of February brought on a really confusing spin to the markets, with fundamentals across the board performing bizarrely (compared to last week’s performance), reports cash buyer GMS.“After a volatile beginning to the month, the Baltic Exchange Dry Index and even oil futures found steady ground this week, while even the U.S. Dollar firmed against all ship recycling nation currencies except India (ain’t that a switch)…
Activity Increases in Ship Recycling Yards
The weekly roller coaster that has become the global marketplace went through its regular gravitational drop this week, with the U.S. dollar taking the “cement-footed diving approach” in all ship-recycling destinations… except Turkey, reports cash buyer GMS.The Baltic Exchange Dry Bulk Index fell 0.7% down to a two-week low, dragged by the Capesize index, which fell 1.1% over the week. The Panamax index slipped 0.4%, while the Supramax index rose 0.2%. Meanwhile, easing tensions between the U.S.
Conflicting Signals Plague Ship Recyclers
January 2026 joins the pages of history as being part of the ongoing misery for the global ship recycling world, but there were noteworthy surges to report this week, saysreports cash buyer GMS.“Across the board, for most of the major fundamentals, except sub-continent steel plate prices that have become the perennial party poopers of the recycling world of late, the momentum was definitely beyond noticeable,” says GMS. “The Baltic Exchange Dry Index, oil futures, and the U.S.
Ship Recycling Industry Playing “Musical Chairs”
Indian sub-continent ship recycling markets have been reflecting on what has been escalating on the international stage of late, reports cash buyer GMS. The company notes extremely turbulent effects emanating week after week from these markets — meaning it is becoming increasingly difficult to identify what price can be obtained for which type / LDT of unit and, most importantly, which buyer in which…
Hopes Fade for Bright Start of 2026 for Ship Recyclers
The Baltic Exchange Dry Index halted a nine-session slide to mark a 2.3% U-turn, climbing to 1,567 points, reports cash buyer GMS. This was driven by gains across segments: Capes (up 2.3%), Panamax (up 4.3%), and the smaller segments adding four points by week’s end.“Notably, the overall benchmark index still finished the week down 7.2%. Oil too continued to trip on itself and stayed below the coveted USD 60/barrel mark despite a 0.4% increase, closing the week out at USD 59.44/barrel.“The U.S.
Ship Recycling Market Tense
If 2026 continues as it has started, we are more than likely in for another roller-coaster year full of geopolitical risks, tensions, aggravations, and increasingly frequent shocks that could affect the shipping and ship recycling industries in numerous — and as yet untold — ways, says cash buyer GMS.Markets have reacted to recent Trump-related geopolitical news as they always do i.e. with chaos and volatility.
Mixed Signals for Ship Recycling Industry
Global economies delivered mixed signals as U.S. stocks maintained a steady decline over the tail-end of December, reports cash buyer GMS. China’s industrial growth slowed, and EU stocks reportedly surged.“The U.S. Dollar started the year off-balance against ship recycling currencies, shipowners started to rejoice as the Baltic Exchange Dry Index showed signs of a resurgence, oil continued to slip on its way to USD 60/barrel even though it climbed to USD 57.17/barrel this week…
Inflation and Steel Prices Impact Ship Recycling Markets
“Inflation is on the rise again, plate prices are collapsing in the wrong places, all while the U.S. dollar continues to rummage through the wreckage of 2025 for whatever it can suck out of ship-recycling currencies and both freight rates and oil futures tumble in unison,” reports cash buyer GMS, “just within the span of week 50.”The Baltic Exchange Dry Index reportedly fell nearly 4%, down to its lowest level in nearly a month, dragged by capes that fell 5.6%.
Another Low Supply Week for Ship Recyclers
December has brought with it a declining Baltic Exchange, reports cash buyer GMS. This saw the Dry Index fall by about 3%, this week, dragged down by mounting pressure across all segments that saw capes slipping 4.4%, panamax dropping 1.4%, and the smaller segments shedding five basis points, all while oil barely moved the needle as it closed another week at region USD 59.70/barrel (expected to breach…
First Pakistan Recycling Yard Becomes Hong Kong Convention Compliant
Prime Green Recyclers has become the first ship recycling yard in Pakistan to achieve full compliance with the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.Bureau Veritas issued the Statement of Compliance on November 24.Prime Green Recyclers’ certification marks a new stage for Pakistan’s recycling capacity. The country has long been one of the world’s major destinations for end-of-life tonnage…
Oil Shock for Ship Recyclers
This has been a disastrous week for nearly all the key indicators tracked by cash buyer GMS, says the company, including the state of oil futures, freight rates, local steel plate prices, and disastrous currency devaluations (especially in India).“To start, oil found itself slipping rather shockingly as it fell to USD 57.68/barrel – a total drop of over 6% in the last month and over 16% lower than the same time last year," says GMS. “At the same time, governments in the U.S.
Recycling Market Increasingly Precarious
Ship recycling market economies face an increasingly precariously future, reports cash buyer GMS.“While the Baltic Exchange Dry Index reported gains once again this week on the back of virtually all inclusive sub-sectors reporting improvements of their own through the week, oil futures on the other hand seem to be taking a beating after levels clocked the week out at USD 59.50/barrel after Ukraine…
