Decks and Deals Weekly #37
The week of March 22–28, 2026 reshaped global shipping as Hormuz turned into a toll-controlled chokepoint, tanker markets split sharply, and geopolitical shocks from Ukraine to Yemen redrew the map of risk
Ultramax & Handysize global market review: fragmented equilibrium across regional dry bulk trade
Global dry bulk markets remain fragmented and directionless, as regional imbalances dominate trading patterns during the week ending 20 March 2026, with owners and charterers navigating short-term volatility and localized equilibrium shifts
Shifting currents: Ultramax and Handysize markets grapple with volatility across Atlantic & Pacific trades
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
Freight lines redrawn: Strength with selectivity across the dry bulk map
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
Hormuz on hold: Freight markets reprice risk as geopolitics tightens the Strait
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
Decks and Deals Weekly #32
During the week of 15–21 February 2026, global shipping was reshaped by Hapag-Lloyd’s $4.2bn ZIM bid, Hormuz tensions, surging tanker rates, container overcapacity, Ukrainian port strikes, and bold Greek newbuilding orders
Ultramax & Handysize market dispatch: Navigating global currents
Global Ultramax and Handysize markets navigated mixed momentum during the week ending February 20, 2026, as regional corrections, seasonal slowdowns, and shifting tonnage balances shaped freight rate direction across key Atlantic and Pacific basins
Dry bulk charges ahead into Lunar New Year with broad-based gains
The dry bulk market gained broad-based momentum in the week ended February 13, 2026, with all vessel classes posting firm advances ahead of the Lunar New Year, led by Capesize strength across Pacific and Atlantic routes
Dry bulk market pulls back after rally as Capes lead the correction
The dry bulk market corrected sharply after a three-week rally, led by Capesize losses, according to data from the week that closed on 6 February 2026
China’s demographic decline: The end of shipping’s golden engine
For those in global shipping, the greatest threat is not deglobalisation, but demography. China’s demographic decline is already reshaping demand, commodity consumption, and the very structure of global supply chains in profound ways