Bulk Shipping News

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and Rio Tinto have signed the partnership agreement to enhance collaboration on both safety and crew welfare initiative and decarbonization of maritime transportation.MOL and Rio Tinto have agreed to further collaborate on shipping decarbonization in addition to the existing commitment to the DOO program through a deal signed on January 24, 2024.The DOO program is a Rio Tinto initiative aimed at enhancing safety and improving crew welfare in the…

The BIMCO Tanker Shipping Market Overview & Outlook February 2024 by Niels Rasmussen, BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst, forecasts that the supply/demand balance will tighten further during both 2024 and 2025.Low fleet growth, along with increasing sailing distances, create the foundation for the improvement despite a slowing of growth in oil demand. The product tanker supply/demand balance is also expected to tighten in 2024 but weaken in 2025. Like the crude tanker market, longer sailing distances support demand growth despite slowing oil demand.

Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL) has signed non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Woodside Energy, HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), and Hyundai Glovis to jointly study the development of shipping solutions to enable bulk marine transportation of liquid hydrogen.Woodside Energy, HD KSOE and Hyundai Glovis have been studying liquid hydrogen transportation since 2022.In this project, the participating companies will study the technology, safety, construction…

The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index .BADI gained for the sixth consecutive session on Thursday, more than doubling in November to hit an one-and-a-half year peak helped by mounting supply of tonnage and cargo demand.The overall index .BADI, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax shipping vessels, was up 241 points or 8.9% at 2,937.

Diana Shipping Inc. has announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) for one of its Capesize dry bulk vessels, the New Orleans.The gross charter rate is US$20,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum August 15, 2025 up to maximum October 31, 2025. The charter is expected to commence on December 7, 2023.The New Orleans is a 180,960dwt Capesize…

Hamburg-based ship finance platform oceanis’s Q4 State of Ship Finance Report comes with a thank-you to shipping companies that are committed to the green transition.Over the past decade, oceanis has seen large changes to the ship financing landscape towards greener projects. The most obvious green financiers are the Poseidon Principles banks, the initiative launched in 2019 whose signatories manage 70% of the world’s shipping loans. At the same time, many other banks and funds are moving away from financing ‘brown’ assets and trades.

BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst, Niels Rasmussen, has revealed that Greek and Chinese shipping companies now own 34% of the global fleet’s cargo capacity, with Greek owners leading on cargo capacity.“The global fleet of cargo carrying ships consists of around 61,000 ships with a deadweight capacity of about 2,200 million tonnes. The ships owned by Greek and Chinese shipping companies contribute 34% of the total fleet’s deadweight tonne capacity,” says Rasmussen.Although consolidation has been significant within the container shipping segment…

Bulk shipping companies Torvald Klaveness and Lauritzen Bulkers are collaborating, with Lauritzen Bulkers testing Market Manager by Klaveness for better decision-making.The software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform developed by Klaveness Chartering enables customers to be better informed about shipping markets.Niels Josefsen, CEO at Lauritzen, said: “Over the past four years, Lauritzen Bulkers has transformed from a traditional shipowner and operator to a company with increasing focus on active portfolio management.

After three successful years as joint partners of Baumarine by MaruKlav, the world's largest Panamax Pool, Marubeni will take a 25% stake of Klaveness Dry Bulk.The deal includes the operating arm Klaveness Chartering, the Baumarine Pool and Market Manager, a recently commercialized digital freight offering."The Torvald Klaveness group and Klaveness Dry Bulk have delivered significant results, not only for the Marubeni fleet, but also for Panamax owners in Baumarine by MaruKlav as a whole,” said Toru Okazaki, Chief Operating Officer, Aerospace & Ship Division of Marubeni Corporation.

A ship has grounded in the Suez Canal, shipping agent Leth Agencies said early on Thursday.Suez Canal tugboats are trying to refloat the vessel, named Xin Hai Tong 23, the company said.There was no immediate comment from Canal authorities."M/V XIN HAI TONG 23 has grounded in the Suez Canal at KM 159/0400 hrs," Leth Agencies said in a tweet, adding it was "leaving behind 4 vessels from the early convoy in addition to the ordinary group which was planned to enter Suez Canal at about 0600 hrs."The Marine Traffic ship tracker and Refinitiv data showed the ship, which sails under the Hong Kong flag, as "not under command" near the southern end of the canal, positioned at an angle next to the canal's eastern side.(Reporting by Hatem Maher and Ahmed Tolba; writing by Nafisa Eltahir, Editing by Mu

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index jumped to a more than two-month high on Tuesday, propelled by gains across vessel segments, particularly the larger capesizes.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels ferrying dry bulk commodities, rose 77 points or 4.3% to 1,865 points, its highest since Aug. 1.The capesize index gained 203 points, or about 10%, to also hit an over two-month high of 2,244 points.

Diana Shipping has entered into a time charter contract with Aquavita International for one of its Capesize dry bulk vessels, the m/v Boston. The gross charter rate is US$20,500 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until a minimum of April 1, 2023, up to a maximum of May 31, 2023. The charter began on July 15, 2022. The m/v Boston was previously chartered to Richland Bulk Pte. Ltd., at a gross charter rate of US$13,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties.The “Boston” is a 177,828 dwt Capesize dry bulk vessel built in 2007."The employment of “Boston” is anticipated to generate approximately US$5.25 million of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index rose on Monday as higher rates for larger capesizes overshadowed a fall in the panamax and supramax segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, and supramax shipping vessels, was up 12 points, or 0.56%, at 2,162 points.The capesize index .BACI rose 48 points, or 1.64%, to 2,967 points.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, were up $394 at $24…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index rose to a seven-week high on Friday to notch up its fourth straight weekly gain, on higher rates for the bigger capesize and panamax segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, rose 74 points, or 2.8%, to 2,718 points. Up 13.1%, the main index gained for the fourth consecutive week.The capesize index rose 173 points, or 6.4%, to 2,894 points. The index hit a more than four-month peak and added 35.5% this week.Average daily earnings for capesizes…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index  rose to an over one-month high on Thursday, boosted by higher rates for capesize and panamax segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, rose 159 points, or 6.4%, to 2,644 points, the highest since March 15.The capesize index rose 402 points, or 17.3%, to 2,721 points.Chinese iron ore and steel futures rose on Thursday after the country's central bank said it would take monetary policy steps to help businesses hit by the COVID-19 outbreak and support a recovery in consumption.

AD Ports Group's feeder service, SAFEEN Feeders, has signed a long-term trade facilitation and shipping agreement with Saif Powertec Limited, a listed firm in Bangladesh that is active in ports, logistics, civil engineering, and power sectors.Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will collaborate to facilitate trade and cargo services from Fujairah to Bangladesh over a period of 15 years. As part of the collaboration, SAFEEN Feeders is expected to provide eight Supramax bulk carriers with 55…

Commercial ships are being advised of the high risk operating in the Black Sea following Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, with various reports of missile attacks on commercial ship, plus warning of the waters containing mines.According to a press release from the NATO Shipping Center (NSC), there is a high risk of collateral damage on civilian shipping in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, citing several open source reports of civilian ships being hit directly or indirectly…

Indonesia said on Thursday it would allow 37 vessels loaded with coal to depart, in the strongest sign yet that the world's biggest thermal coal exporter is relaxing its ban on shipments.A senior cabinet minister said in a statement the ban implemented on Jan. 1 had been eased for miners that have met a requirement to sell a portion of their output for local power generation, after the state utility procured enough coal to ensure 15 days of operation."I request that this is supervised closely so this also becomes a moment for us to improve domestic governance…

The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index dipped on Friday, registering its biggest weekly decline since July 2020, pulled lower by weakened rates across vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, was down 54 points, or 2%, to 2,715, its lowest since June 10. The main index suffered a weekly loss of 22.8%.The capesize index rose 59 points, or 1.8%, to 3,280, snapping an 11-session losing streak. It logged a weekly decline of 24.6%.Average daily earnings for capesizes…

Clearlake Shipping, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gunvor Group, has fixed a new building 37,000 deadweight ton (dwt) asphalt carrier, the White Pearl, to be delivered before year end.White Pearl will complement Gunvor’s growing asphalt trading business, which has been active since 2016, adding to the company’s position in the trade, storage, and transportation of asphalt products. Gunvor’s trading desk operates worldwide, moving approximately 1 million MT of bitumen annually, and has a dedicated fleet of four existing fixed vessels and multiple spot charters.

VesselsValue, a company providing valuations and data on a variety of vessels globally, has launched Small Dry as part of Trade offering plus updated Small Dry Values."VesselsValue is pleased to announce [it is] now covering Small Dry Trade as well as having undergone a thorough review and update of their daily automated values," the company said.Commenting on the launch, Christian Faber, Small Dry Commercial Analyst – VesselsValue Ltd said: "The Small Dry segment has always been a major part of the shipping industry, despite not necessarily being in the spotlight. "More than 10,000 vessels are currently sailing on global waters, delivering a range of commodities from grain, gypsum, clay to timber, construction materials, and wind turbine equipment.

Record high US seaborne exports of coarse grains in March of 9.2 million tonnes took total Q1 exports to 21.3 million tonnes. This is the highest ever first quarter on record and a 120% increase from Q1 2020.Of the total 21.3m tonnes exported so far this year, 68%, or 14.6m tonnes, have gone to Asia, an increase of 208.7% from Q1 2020. For years, the trade war has lowered US exports to China, but exports are now rebounding with a vengeance and China becoming the largest buyer of US coarse grains.

USTC has acquired 60% of CM Biomass, the world’s largest independent wood pellet trading company, a move designed to consolidate USTC as a global force in shipping and trade. USTC, which has a long history within commodity trade, shipping, and logistics, has acquired the stake of CM Biomass, a company in theCopenhagen Merchants Group. The remaining 40% will be held by the existing owners, and the CM Biomass management team and the organization will remain unchanged with Simon Rodian Christensen as its CEO.