According to Pavel Lysenko, analyst with ASAP Agri and freight broker with Atria Brokers, freight rates for grain shipments from Ukraine remained mostly stable this week. Despite owners’ bullish sentiment ahead of the new grain season, the number of firm cargo orders has remained limited so far. The slight uptick in demand for tonnage observed last week has already vanished during the current reporting period. As a result, most spot fixtures in the Coaster and Handysize sectors continue to be concluded at last week's levels. It should also be noted that owners’ pressure on rates due to rising bunker prices appears to be easing, as the fuel market shows signs of cooling amid the de-escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran.

Thus, Atria Brokers’ freight department assesses the freight for Panamax vessels with corn from Ukrainian deep-water ports to South China at 35–36 USD/MT (up 1 USD/MT w-o-w).

In the Handysize segment, freight for a 30,000t corn shipment to East Coast Italy stands at 17 USD/MT.

In the Coaster sector, freight for a 6,000t corn shipment from Ukrainian Danube ports to East Coast Italy is assessed at 28–30 USD/MT.

Barge freight for 1,000–3,000t of corn from Izmail or Reni to Constanta is estimated at 9–10 EUR/MT (up 1 EUR/MT w-o-w).

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