Dry bulk markets for Ultramax and Handysize vessels showed mixed signals during the week ending 13 March 2026, as bunker volatility, geopolitical tensions, and rising tonnage supply shaped trading patterns across Atlantic and Pacific routes
The dry bulk market moved largely sideways during the week that ended on March 13, 2026, as strong Capesize gains offset declines across smaller vessel segments, allowing the Baltic Dry Index to post a modest increase
Between 8 and 14 March 2026, the tanker market set confirmed all-time rate records, Greek-owned ships took direct hits in two separate war zones, and the IEA launched its largest-ever emergency oil release
In a move of calculated audacity, Greek shipowner George Prokopiou sent five tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. This high-stakes operation reveals the very DNA of Greek shipping dominance
Global dry bulk markets faced rising volatility in the week ending 6 March 2026, as fuel shortages, Middle East tensions, and shifting cargo flows reshaped freight dynamics for Ultramax and Handysize vessels
Despite escalating geopolitical tensions and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the dry bulk market showed resilience during the week ending March 6, 2026, with smaller bulkers supporting freight levels while Capesize earnings declined
The week of March 1–7, 2026, handed global shipping its most disruptive seven days in decades: the Strait of Hormuz closed, tanker rates shattered records, and insurers quietly finished what the missiles started
Freight markets show selective resilience and disciplined consolidation across basins in the week that closed on 27 February 2026, with Ultramax and Handysize segments defending gains rather than extending them
Freight markets turned sharply cautious in the week that closed on 27 February 2026, as escalating tensions and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz forced a reassessment of risk, routing and pricing across global dry bulk trades
From February 22 to 28, 2026, the global shipping market absorbed three simultaneous shocks: a US-Israeli strike on Iran closed Hormuz, Panama ejected Hutchison, and container rates logged their seventh straight weekly decline