Black Sea freight strengthens ahead of grain season
29.06.2026 - 15:45
Charterers are more active in requesting rates for July shipments, and shipowners are fixing levels slightly higher than the previous ones.
Rates for grain transportation from Ukraine are strengthening in some directions against the backdrop of a revival of market activity. This is reported by ASAP Agri analysts.
As of June 26, the freight of “burners” from the Danube to the Eastern Mediterranean was at around $38–39/MT, “handy sizes” from Black Sea ports to ECI – around $23/MT.
At the end of June, trading activity on the Black Sea increased noticeably. Charterers are increasingly actively requesting indications for July shipments. However, the volume of firm cargo offers in both segments remains insufficient – primarily in the “burners” segment, where the list of available tonnage in the region is still quite long.
Despite this, shipowners maintain rising expectations: they announce higher price targets and increasingly fix rates at levels that exceed previous ones.
As USM wrote, on the eve of the Ministry of Development announced the launch of a project to study the development of ports in the Danube region.
