Globally, coal shipping freight rates have gone up, lifting the London-based Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index to its highest in this year (since 9Jan’18) at 1,384 points on 4May’18 as rates for capesize and panamax shipping vessels have been climbing.
The upward trend has been mainly driven by China’s insatiable appetite for coal, significantly impacting commodity shipping markets; particularly the freight market.
Notably, China’s imports of coking coal are now starting to rebound after a weak start to the year, and is poised for further growth as steel output rises amidst shrinking coal production within their own country.
Steel production in China over the first quarter of the year rose 5.4% from the same period in 2017 to 212.2 MnT. Meanwhile, China’s total coal production, including both thermal and coking grades, dropped to 290 MnT in Mar’18.
Accordingly, China imported 4.02 MnT of coking coal in Mar’18, up 38% month on month from 2.91 MnT in Feb’18, according to customs data released on 24 Apr’18.
In the long term, China‘s coal-dominated energy system is anticipated to generate import demand exceeding 200 million tonnes by 2025.
| Capesize | |||||||
| Freight (USD/MT) | |||||||
| Load Port | Country | Discharge Port | Country | Latest | Last week | Last Month | Status |
| Puerto Bolivar | Colombia | Dhamra | India | 18.29 | 16.06 | 17.97 | Up |
| Puerto Bolivar | Mundra | 16.65 | 14.50 | 16.35 | Up | ||
| DBCT | Australia | Gangavaram | 9.74 | 8.70 | 8.30 | Up | |
| DBCT | Mundra | 9.30 | 8.15 | 7.70 | Up | ||
| Richards Bay | South Africa | Gangavaram | 11.32 | 9.23 | 9.49 | Up | |
| Richards Bay | Mundra | 9.95 | 7.95 | 8.20 | Up | ||
| Puerto Bolivar | Colombia | Fangcheng | China | 19.17 | 17.21 | 20.30 | Up |
| Puerto Bolivar | Qingdao | 20.00 | 17.85 | 21.01 | Up | ||
| Richards Bay | South Africa | Fangcheng | 12.04 | 10.42 | 10.32 | Up | |
| Richards Bay | Qingdao | 12.20 | 10.55 | 10.45 | Up | ||
| New Castle | Australia | Qingdao | 8.75 | 7.60 | 7.80 | Up | |
| New Castle | Fangcheng | 9.19 | 7.96 | 8.17 | Up | ||
| Baltimore | USA | Mundra | India | 26.25 | 21.00 | 24.95 | Up |
| Norfolk | Gangavaram | 27.53 | 22.25 | 26.25 | Up | ||
| TBCT | Indonesia | Qingdao | China | 4.78 | 4.32 | 4.16 | Up |
| TBCT | Fangcheng | 4.46 | 4.04 | 3.89 | Up | ||
| TBCT | Mundra | India | 5.90 | 5.31 | 5.15 | Up | |
| TBCT | Gangavaram | 5.86 | 5.35 | 5.22 | Up | ||
| Panamax | |||||||
| Freight (USD/MT) | |||||||
| Load Port | Country | Discharge Port | Country | Latest | Last week | Last Month | Status |
| Richards Bay | South Africa | Jaigad(14m) | India | 14.05 | 14.04 | 15.49 | Up |
| Richards Bay | Mundra | 13.46 | 13.45 | 14.90 | Up | ||
| Richards Bay | Dhamra | 14.32 | 14.30 | 15.85 | Up | ||
| Richards Bay | Krishnapattam | 13.70 | 13.68 | 15.17 | Up | ||
| Richards Bay | Fangcheng | China | 16.23 | 16.00 | 17.69 | Up | |
| Richards Bay | Rizhao | 16.66 | 16.43 | 18.14 | Up | ||
| NPLCT | Indonesia | Dhamra | India | 8.36 | 8.27 | 9.07 | Up |
| NPLCT | Gangavaram | 8.61 | 8.52 | 9.34 | Up | ||
| NPLCT | Mundra | 8.71 | 8.59 | 9.56 | Up | ||
| NPLCT | Jaigad | 9.02 | 8.91 | 9.89 | Up | ||
| Hay Point | Australia | Vizag | 14.12 | 13.93 | 15.21 | Up | |
| New Castle | Fangcheng | China | 13.66 | 13.63 | 14.73 | Up | |
| New Castle | Rizhao | 14.11 | 14.08 | 15.19 | Up | ||
| New Port News | USA | Vizag | India | 28.35 | 28.17 | 29.97 | Up |
| Tanjung Bara CT | Indonesia | Fangcheng | China | 6.70 | 6.69 | 7.76 | Up |
| Tanjung Bara CT | Rizhao | 7.14 | 7.13 | 8.22 | Up | ||
| New Orleans | USA | Dhamra | India | 32.06 | 32.02 | 34.72 | Up |
| New Orleans | Mundra | 33.37 | 33.33 | 36.32 | Up | ||
| New Orleans | Rizhao | China | 37.93 | 37.88 | 41.31 | Up | |
| Supramax | |||||||
| Freight (USD/MT) | |||||||
| Load Port | Country | Discharge Port | Country | Latest | Last week | Last Month | Status |
| Taboneo | Indonesia | Vizag | India | 10.14 | 10.27 | 10.21 | Down |
| Taboneo | Navlakhi | 12.00 | 12.14 | 12.05 | Down | ||
| Taboneo | Fangcheng | China | 9.67 | 9.89 | 9.88 | Down | |
| Taboneo | Rizhao | 10.53 | 10.76 | 10.99 | Down | ||
| Richards Bay | South Africa | Mundra | India | 14.77 | 14.88 | 15.79 | Down |
| Richards Bay | Paradip | 14.88 | 15.00 | 16.01 | Down | ||
| Hay Point | Australia | Huangpu(12.3m) | China | 14.81 | 15.11 | 15.05 | Down |
| Hay Point | Vizag | India | 18.65 | 18.79 | 18.62 | Down | |
| New Port News | USA | Vizag | 40.43 | 41.10 | 41.96 | Down | |
| Houston | Vizag | 37.70 | 38.40 | 39.21 | Down | ||
| Goa | India | Qingdao | China | 12.18 | 12.30 | 12.84 | Down |
| Paradip | Qingdao | 9.41 | 9.51 | 9.66 | Down | ||
| Bunati | Indonesia | Campha (12.3) | Vietnam | 11.59 | 11.65 | 12.41 | Down |
| Richards Bay | South Africa | Campha (12.3) | 22.12 | 22.39 | 23.76 | Down | |
| Haypoint | Australia | Campha (12.3) | 16.89 | 17.01 | 17.31 | Down | |
| Gladstone | Campha (12.3) | 17.25 | 17.37 | 17.67 | Down | ||
| Port Kembla | Campha (12.3) | 19.56 | 19.69 | 20.01 | Down | ||
| Teluk Rubiah | Malaysia | Campha (12.3) | 11.03 | 11.09 | 11.85 | Down | |
| Vostochy (12.2M) | Russia | Paradip | India | 12.72 | 12.94 | 13.29 | Down |
| Vostochy (12.2M) | Krishnapatnam | 12.53 | 12.72 | 13.04 | Down | ||
| Vostochy (12.2M) | Hazira | 15.42 | 15.67 | 16.08 | Down | ||
| Vostochy (12.2M) | Jaigarh (13m) | 13.62 | 13.83 | 14.17 | Down | ||
| Vanino | Paradip | 12.46 | 12.78 | 13.23 | Down | ||
| Vanino | Krishnapatnam | 12.06 | 12.28 | 12.72 | Down | ||
| Vanino | Hazira | 14.79 | 15.06 | 15.61 | Down | ||
| Vanino | Jaigarh (13m) | 13.12 | 13.35 | 13.83 | Down | ||
| Vanino | Tuticorin (12.8M) | 12.10 | 12.33 | 12.78 | Down | ||
| Nakhodka (9.35M) | Paradip | 17.70 | 17.86 | 18.37 | Down | ||
| Nakhodka (9.35M) | Krishnapatnam | 17.21 | 17.34 | 17.79 | Down | ||
| Nakhodka (9.35M) | Hazira | 22.64 | 22.84 | 23.49 | Down | ||
| Nakhodka (9.35M) | Jaigarh (13m) | 19.94 | 20.10 | 20.64 | Down | ||
| Richards Bay | South Africa | ECI | 17.20 | 17.30 | 18.36 | Down | |
| Richards Bay | ECI | 19.06 | 19.18 | 20.39 | Down | ||
Source: Bulk Marine
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