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FREIGHT RATES

World map showing major maritime trade routes between Shanghai, Rotterdam, and New York, including Suez Canal and Cape of Good Hope alternatives with distances and transit times

Middle East conflict disrupts global shipping

Developments in the Middle East test global maritime trade routes, as rising geopolitical tension increases costs, alters shipping patterns, and places critical energy corridors under renewed pressure without any formal blockad

Ultramax bulk carrier with red hatch covers and deck cranes sailing at speed through open ocean waters

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

Front-facing view of a large dry bulk carrier moving steadily through open blue water, emphasizing symmetry, momentum, and controlled forward motion

Metis & isorropia (Strategic intelligence and balance)

Based on data from the week ending 6 February 2026, Ultramax & Handysize markets at a turning point are analysed through metis kai isorropia, highlighting timing, balance, and strategic intelligence amid shifting global dynamics

Black-and-white photograph of a stormy sea with waves breaking against a line of wooden groynes extending into the water

Decks and Deals Weekly #30

From 31 January to 7 February 2026, global shipping markets confronted structural distortions: collapsing shadow fleets, resilient mid-size tankers, aggressive Chinese-led newbuilding orders, and a widening gap between macro narratives and physical trade reality

Oil tanker at sea in heavy fog under overcast skies, partially obscured, isolated on calm water with low visibility

When the sea stops obeying the charts

Rethinking power, risk, and signal in the modern tanker market, this essay explores how perception, positioning, and reflexivity now shape freight behavior beyond traditional supply-and-demand logic