The Baltic & Continent Handysize/Supramax market is showing quite healthy trade, with regular requests for transportation of fertilizers and grain, while offers of steel scrap are less frequent. At the same time, the vessel count cannot be called excessive, with even some shortage reported for certain dates.
Stevedoring companies operating at the Liepaja SEZ handled a total of 556,000 t of cargo in August 2025, thus exceeding the July transshipment volume by 76,000 t. Note that the cargo turnover increased in all product groups.
The small-tonnage market picture is slowly improving. Thus, a slight increase in tonnage demand allowed owners to raise rates within $0.5-1/t on most routes ex Black Sea ports, while Azov Sea rates have stabilized after a slight rollback and even started to grow again.
The cargo turnover increased by 607,000 t to 4.25 million t at the port of Klaipeda in August 2025 compared with July 2025. This is due to improved transshipment by the Klaipeda State Seaport (up 22% month-on-month or 599,000 t to 3.4 million t).
Oleksii Kuleba, Ukraine’s Minister for Communities and Territories Development, has signed a decree establishing a tender commission to conduct an international procedure for the concession of the Chornomorsk port. This is the first public-private partnership project in the port sector during a full-scale war.
Dynamics of average mazut prices, $/tonne
In contrast to the large-tonnage shipping sector (which can definitely be called dynamic, although not hot), the small-tonnage seagoing market remains slow, with minimal rate fluctuations. Moreover, the number of 2-12k dwt vessels open in the Black , Marmara and Aegean Seas, as well as in the eastern Mediterranean has increased by almost 10%…… Read more »
Dynamics of average mazut prices, $/tonne
The cargo turnover did not change much in July 2025 at the Ventspils Freeport. In particular, the stevedoring companies altogether handled approximately 503,000 t of cargo, a minor 4% or 20,000 t increase from June 2025.
Despite all attempts, small-tonnage owners have not managed to achieve any noticeable rate upturn yet, unless we consider a $0.25-0.5/t correction in the Black Sea as such. The fact is that cargo offer remains frankly poor in the Black Sea and in all parts of the Mediterranean region.