According to Pavel Lysenko, analyst with ASAP Agri, freight broker with Atria Brokers, following last week’s positive momentum, Coaster owners have managed to push rates slightly higher again. In addition to increased Sulina passage tariffs, a slight uptick in grain shipments from Ukraine is playing into owners' hands these days. Owners have responded optimistically to this revival and have immediately started voicing higher freight ideas, while not all charterers are willing to make such concessions. As a result, fixing activity has slowed somewhat due to a wider bid/offer gap. However, the deals that are being discussed are fixing at 1-2 USD/MT above last done levels. Meanwhile, the positive shifts in the Handysize segment, observed over the past two weeks, have now faded, with rates stabilizing this week.

Speaking of the Panamax sector, Atria Brokers' freight department assesses freight for a Panamax lot of corn from Ukrainian deep-water ports to South China at 34-35 USD/MT (up 1 USD/MT w/w).

Handysize rates for corn shipments from POC ports to East Coast Italy remain steady at 16-17 USD/MT.

In the Coaster segment, freight for a 6,000t shipment of corn from Ukrainian Danube ports to East Coast Italy ports has increased by 2 USD/MT to 30-32 USD/MT.

Regarding barges, freight for spot shipments of 1,000-3,000t of corn from Izmail or Reni to Constanța is estimated at 8-9 EUR/MT, in line with last done levels.

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