Black Sea freight continues to decline amid weak demand for transportation
25.05.2026 - 14:14
Rates for “coasters” have dropped by another $1–2/MT, while the “handysize” segment is still holding its ground.
Rates on the Black Sea freight market continue to fall. The main reason is an acute shortage of fresh cargo orders against the background of an excess of available tonnage, writes ASAP Agri.
The “coaster” segment suffers the most from this imbalance. As soon as an acceptable cargo offer appears on the market, shipowners are forced to agree to the charterers’ terms in order not to lose the load. As a result, rates have further decreased by $1–2/MT on certain routes.
Thus, as of May 22, the freight for “coasters” from the Danube to the Eastern Mediterranean is about $40/MT.
The situation in the “handysize” segment is still more stable. Shipowners are managing to keep rates from falling further: freight to the Eastern Mediterranean is holding at around $25/MT.
The gap between the two segments remains significant — around $15/MT on comparable routes.
As previously reported by USM, Ukraine exported 2.43 million tons of grain in May.
