Weekly Freight Recap: 01/05/25
May 01, 2025
PANAMAX Atlantic: The Atlantic Panamax market softened over the week, with spot demand showing only limited support, particularly out of North Coast South America. Activity slowed across most areas, partly due to industry events and holidays. The Mediterranean saw a buildup in available tonnage, though sentiment remained cautiously firm. Despite some isolated fixtures, overall momentum remained muted, and many participants adopted a wait-and-see approach.
Pacific: The Pacific continued its downward trend, weighed down by a growing tonnage list and subdued inquiry. Trades from North Pacific and Australia lost ground, with weaker bids pushing owners to test lower levels. Activity out of Indonesia also slowed, offering little support. While tonnage remains tight in some pockets, overall sentiment in the region weakened, keeping rates under pressure.
SUPRAMAX Atlantic: The Atlantic Supramax market remained lackluster, with the US Gulf under continued pressure due to weak demand and oversupply. The South Atlantic offered relatively more stability, though fixtures remained limited. Sentiment across the Continent and Mediterranean stayed cautious, with little fresh enquiry to provide upward momentum.
Pacific: The Pacific Supramax segment faced a quiet week, with holidays dampening activity and many participants still absent post-conference. Indonesian coal business provided some support, but overall fresh cargo was limited, and rates slipped slightly. Owners held firm where possible, but pressure remained from the growing number of open vessels.
HANDYSIZE Atlantic: The Atlantic Handysize market remained under pressure, especially in the US Gulf and Mediterranean, where demand failed to pick up. The Continent saw steady but unspectacular activity, while the South Atlantic offered slightly firmer sentiment due to steady grain flows. Still, overall activity was light, and rate levels continued to face downward pressure.
Pacific: The Pacific Handysize market held mostly flat, with little change in fundamentals. Tonnage levels remained high, particularly in Southeast Asia, while cargo inquiry stayed thin. A few fixtures provided limited support, but the market lacked the drive to push rates meaningfully higher.
Weekly Recaps
Freight
Freight Recap:
11/12/25
Dec 11, 2025
The dry bulk market saw a softer overall tone, with Handysize holding largely flat, Supramax weakening across both basins, and Panamax continuing its decline despite some localized Atlantic support. Activity levels remained muted in many regions, with owners increasingly seeking cover ahead of the holiday period. The Atlantic showed mixed signals across segments, while the Pacific faced longer tonnage lists and weaker demand, keeping pressure on rates.
Commodities
Agri- Commodities:
01-05/12/25 Agri
Dec 08, 2025
USDA announced no new flash sales, disappointing soybean markets. Weekly export sales remain delayed and have not yet reached the period covering the US–China trade deal, leaving the true pace of buying uncertain. CBOT corn and wheat eased, while March MATIF wheat posted small gains after finding support at intraday contract lows. ABARES raised Australia’s 2025/26 wheat, barley, and canola output, though the increases were broadly in line with expectations. Algeria’s OAIC issued a soft wheat tender for February shipment, and Russian wheat prices slipped again, with 12.5% FOB for January at $227/t.
Freight
Freight Recap:
04/12/25
Dec 04, 2025
The dry bulk market saw a generally mixed performance, with Handysize remaining supported in the Atlantic, Supramax showing uneven movement across regions, and Panamax continuing its correction as rising vessel supply weighed on sentiment. Atlantic dynamics were split between firmer US Gulf/US East Coast activity in the smaller segments and softer conditions for Panamax. In the Pacific, muted enquiry and longer lists contributed to a softer tone, especially in NoPac, though isolated strength persisted in Australian coal.
Commodities
Agri- Commodities:
24-28/11/25 Agri
Dec 01, 2025
Wheat opened the week lower after Saudi Arabia’s tender came in sharply priced, while soybeans and corn also finished slightly weaker. Market reaction to the Trump–Xi call remained muted, particularly for soybeans, where repeated political signals have not delivered the expected demand. Saudi Arabia’s GFSA bought 300k tons of wheat for March–April arrival at $257.96–$259.74/t CnF, roughly $5–$5.50 below the previous tender, with February slots skipped. Russian 12.5% protein wheat eased by $1 to $228/t FOB according to IKAR, and MARS reported that winter-cereal sowing in Europe is largely complete under mostly favorable conditions. US winter wheat conditions improved to 48% good/excellent, two points above the five-year average.
USDA confirmed private sales of 123k tons of US soybeans to China, bringing known 25/26 sales to 1.94 mmt, with an additional 0.62 mmt sold to “unknown” since October. Weekly US export inspections showed 799k tons of soybeans, 1,632k tons of corn, and 475k tons of wheat. No soybeans were shipped to China, leaving total inspections well behind last year’s levels.
