According to Pavel Lysenko, analyst with ASAP Agri, freight broker with Atria Brokers, this week, the situation has not changed much on the Black Sea and Mediterranean markets. Cargo flow stays limited across all regions, and grain from Ukraine is no exception. However, despite the still acute cargo/tonnage imbalance in the Handysize and Coaster segments, corresponding rates from Ukraine are holding steady as owners firmly stand their ground, avoiding any further rate cuts.

Meantime, the Panamax sector remains under a bearish tone. Atria Brokers’ freight department indicates 31 USD/MT for a Panamax lot of corn from POC ports to South China, down 1 USD/MT w/w.

The Handysize segment looks stable. Freight rates to East Coast Italy ports remain steady at 15-16 USD/MT.

Freight for coasters performing shipments from Danube ports also holds steady. Freight rates for shipments of 6,000t of corn from Ukrainian Danube ports to East Coast Italy remain at 27-28 USD/MT.

Spot shipments of 1,000-3,000t of corn from Izmail or Reni to Constanța by barges are assessed at around 8-9 EUR/MT.

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