Cement News tagged: Freight Markets

Baltic Dry Index on the road to recovery?

29 September 2016, Published under Cement News

Over the past six months, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) has witnessed conservative growth. Despite a period of decline, the BDI has steadily climbed from 392 in March to 804 in the first two weeks of September. This 412-point growth may be a sign that the demand-supply equilibrium in the dry bulk market is headed for continued improvement by the close of 2016. It was noted by Golden Ocean G...

Freight: 30m dwt of scrapping needed

13 July 2016, Published under Cement News

With newbuilds arriving faster than owners are able to scrap their old carriers, the growing oversupply in the dry bulk shipping market is clear. Higher levels of ship scrapping will be needed to balance the market. Shipbroker Alibra Shipping noted in its latest weekly report that Capesize spot rates seemed to correspond with scrapping activity, with rates increasing in the first seven mont...

Brexit: BDI to remain stable?

01 July 2016, Published under Cement News

Following the result of last week’s ‘Brexit’ vote many questions regarding its long-term aftermath have arisen, with some predicting a curb in the global economy’s growth. As reported by Hellenic Shipping News, Allied’s Head of Market Research & Asset Valuations, George Lazaridis commented on the matter, saying, “The intense uncertainty and volatility will only amplify that which has already b...

Shipping market set for multi-year recovery

17 June 2016, Published under Cement News

Despite bouncing back from the historic lows seen in February 2016 (290 points on 10-11 February), the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) continues to experience downward trends, as seen in the three-year trend shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Baltic Dry Index, 6 June 2013-6 June 2016 Under these challenging conditions, some ship owners have resorted to chartering their vessels for less than one ...

Slow Mediterranean market offers forward opportunities

Slow Mediterranean market offers forward opportunities

03 July 2014, Published under Cement News

It has been a very slow couple of weeks with few orders circulated in the market and often a long list of interested vessels for each new order. Clinker shipments from the Mediterranean to west Africa have been carried out at very sharp levels with owners taking the lower-paying cargoes and leave the extremely-saturated Mediterranean market, according to shipping broker Clarksons . ...

Mediterranean reluctance, Indian Ocean steady

09 April 2014, Published under Cement News

Owners of dry bulk vessels operating in the Mediterranean are reluctant to take short inter-Med cement or clinker voyages, due to poor rates and lack of cargoes, especially in the eastern Mediterranean, according to Clarksons, the international shipbroker. Instead, owners are opting for cargoes with backhaul to the Atlantic as a first preference. Owners are rating spot cargoes from the Med...

Dry bulk freight market lifts on capesize advance

Dry bulk freight market lifts on capesize advance

30 August 2013, Published under Cement News

The dry bulk freight market appears to be picking up as capesize vessels are reported to leading the uplift. The Baltic Dry Index has started to show some improvement although it slipped slightly from 1156 to 1146 in the week ended 28 August 2013. However, progress in other market segments has been more muted. Strong iron imports into the China are bolstering the capesize market as the comm...

Quiet handysize and panamax markets, capesize promising

05 August 2013, Published under Cement News

Traditionally a more quiet time of the year, the freight market does not delivery any big surprises. Handysize and panamax markets see available shipping capacity outnumber actual cargoes. In the capesize market, charters are improving. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) slipped in July but still enjoys a much better level than last year. In terms of handysize shipments, the Pacific market is still...

Freight prices to receive triple boost

11 March 2013, Published under Cement News

As an oversupply in shipping capacity continues to plague the dry bulk freight market market with the Baltic Dry Index bumping along the bottom, there may be some signs of improvement. Higher forecast demand for commodities combine with reduced deliveries of new vessels and higher scrappage rates to support freight prices although a sustained recovery cannot be expected in the short term, acco...

Low Paraguay river makes INC clinker transport difficult

23 November 2012, Published under Cement News

The low levels of the Paraguay river are making transport of clinker more difficult. The current water level is adding 20% to the clinker transport bill of Industria Nacional del Cimento (INC), according to its president, Carlos Krüssel Llano. INC produces clinker at Vallemí and then ships it to its Villeta grinding unit. However, the company’s president assured that Villeta currently has a...

Sharjah Cement Factory signs MoU with Etihad Rail

21 November 2012, Published under Cement News

UAE’s Sharjah Cement Factory has signed a memorandum of understanding with Etihad Rail which will enable the cement producer to transport more than 5Mta of cement and raw materials, more than half the company’s current logistic requirements. The agreement will offer Sharjah a freight solution that will reduce transport costs and improve efficiency by allowing the use of a mode of transport ...

India’s cement transport by rail falls 11.8 per cent

19 November 2012, Published under Cement News

A rise in freight charges has seen a drop in cement volumes carried by Indian Railways. In August, cement volumes carried by rail fell 11.8 per cent YoY to 7.52Mt as rail fares saw an increase of as much as 24 per cent.  The Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) said the decline was prompted partly by the rise in freight rates, although the general decline in the cement market also contrib...

Atlantic basin rates fall but Capesize provides positive note

20 September 2012, Published under Cement News

After hitting a new record low for the year at 661 on 12 September, the Baltic Dry Index edge up again to 772 one week later. Dahlman Rose attributes the increase to “modestly higher” Capesize rates. "Considering the downwards pressure currently in Chinese steel prices, we do not expect a significant boost to rates in the near term," Dahlman Rose strategists Omar M Nokta and Damien Fortune sa...

End of holidays provides varied freight pricing

06 September 2012, Published under Cement News

The end of the holiday season in various parts of the world provided the freight market with a varied mix of price trends. In the Handysize market prices appeared to be stabilising somewhat in both basins but with Pacific rates recovering slightly faster. RV Atlantic contracts rose from US$7700/day on 22 August to US$7900/day a week later but then lost modest ground to US$7825/day, a...

Dry bulk rates continue summer slip

22 August 2012, Published under Cement News

The past fortnight has seen handysize and panamax rates decline considerably and the BDI is edging down towards a new low.

Shipping rates soften across the board

22 August 2012, Published under Cement News

With summer activity on the low side, shipping rates generally softened for Handysize, Panamax and Capes, both in the Atlantic and Pacific basins. With a more or less inactive Atlantic market, prices for charters were significantly more affected in the western hemisphere, noting rate decrease of up to a third. The Pacific held up better with declines ranging in the 6-16 per cent bracket. ...