The West Australian shipping market continues to show positive signs, with a healthy volume of inquiries for vessel fixtures spanning the mid to late May 2025 period. These inquiries are coming from a diverse range of stakeholders, including miners, cargo tenders, and vessel operators, indicating sustained demand for tonnage in this region, reports Fearnleys.
Capesize
For C3 cargoes ex Brazil and West Africa, the current inquiries are predominantly for loading dates in the second half of May and early June.
In the Far East, there is an observed tightening in the number of spot vessels becoming available. Conversely, the number of ballast vessels for May loading dates remains high.
Recently concluded fixtures include rates at USD 8.00 per metric ton (pmt) for voyages from West Australia and at low USD 19 pmt for Brazil round trips.
Panamax
This week, the Panamax market is showing signs of weakening. There’s limited upward movement as seasonal grain exports from the US and Canada are starting to decrease, and the number of vessels heading to Indonesia has also fallen.
In the Atlantic, the North saw a slight increase in transatlantic activity due to new spot demand from the North Coast of South America. However, the South Atlantic remained quiet, partly because of the Geneva dry bulk conference. The number of vessels in the Mediterranean is increasing, although the overall feeling in the market is still cautiously firm.
In the Pacific, the market continued its downward trend. There’s an excess of available vessels, and cargo replenishment has been slow. This has led to further easing of rates for trades in the North Pacific and Australia. A key factor that is currently providing some stability to the market is the volume of grain exports from the East Coast of South America.
Supramax
The Supramax and Handysize markets are still mostly quiet, with not much new business happening and no clear trend in either the Atlantic or Pacific basins.
In the Supramax market, the South Atlantic is the only area showing a bit of positivity due to steady demand. However, the US Gulf and Asian markets are flat with limited new inquiries. Overall, the feeling is subdued, with both ship owners and charterers being cautious.
The Handysize market is similar, with the South Atlantic being the most stable region thanks to consistent cargo shipments across the Atlantic. On the other hand, the European Continent, Mediterranean, and US Gulf are facing downward pressure because there are too many ships and not enough demand. Asia remains stagnant as more ships become available and there are few new inquiries.
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Source: Fearnleys
