Tags
Baltic Dry Index, dry bulk shipping, global economy, hipping companies, Iron ore shipping vessels, shipping industry
Dry bulk shipping industry’s negative performance is cause for alarm
One of the most watched commodities these days is the Baltic Dry Index. The Index has fallen by 90% since reaching a high in 2008, and in February 2015 we saw the worse performance in three decades.
In 2008, shipping vessels were earning around $200,000 daily. Today, shipping companies are earning less than half the total amount of their costs. Consider this: capesize rates equate to approximately $4,300 per day, while the daily operating costs are averaging at $6,500. Once all the additional operating costs are included, owners are spending $13,000 each day. Just four months into the year, eight shipping companies have filed for bankruptcy and under present circumstances, more could follow. The question is: why and will things turn around?