On the 49th week there is a slight drop in freight rates in the Azov-Black Sea region. Thus, contracts for the shipment of 3,000 tons of wheat from Azov to the Marmara Sea ports are concluded on average at the level of 59 dollars per ton. Due to the continuation of the unfavorable economic situation in Turkey, the number of cargoes on the market is decreasing daily. Most cargoes are shipped according to previously made contracts, while new ones are practically not concluded.
Shipowners consider forward voyages at current rates, anticipating a possible drop in freight by the end of the year. In addition, there is a desire of shipowners to send their vessels on long voyages, so that during the New Year holidays they do not wait in Russian ports for loading.
It is also worth noting that the drop in rates is due to the end of the storm in the Black Sea and the Kerch Strait and the return of a large number of vessels to the Sea of Azov.
In the Caspian, the cost of shipments from the southern ports of the Russian Federation to Iran continues to grow. The shipment price from Astrakhan to Northern Iran is now $ 46 per mt. The amount of open tonnage has decreased. Many shipowners working new contracts.
In the Baltic region, free tonnage remains low and freight is growing rapidly. Many charterers do not see the expediency of selling low-margin goods for export, since the cost of transportation overlaps the profit from sales.
Thus, the cost of shipment to ARAG, for today, is 66 euros per mt.