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Dry Bulk Industry

  • The maritime shipping industry is fundamental to international trade, being the only practicable, cost effective and carbon efficient means of transporting large volumes of many essential commodities and finished goods.

  • The global dry bulk fleet plays a central role in global economic activity, transporting a wide selection of essential raw materials and commodities across a diverse global geography. It plays a central role in global economic activity, transporting a wide selection of essential raw materials and commodities across a diverse global geography.

  • The global dry bulk vessel fleet consists of vessels of a wide range of sizes (10,000 dwt to approximately 400,000 dwt) designed for the transportation of dry bulk commodities to service global industries including metals, energy, and agriculture. Dry bulk cargoes are, in many cases, essential raw materials and commodities on which growing global populations and economic development rely. They are used across many basic industries including manufacturing, construction and food. Major categories of dry bulk vessels in terms of size are the following:

    • Capesize vessels with a carrying capacity of more than 100,000 dwt.
    • Panamax vesssels with a carrying capacity of between 70,000 and 100,000 dwt.
    • Handymax vesssels with a carrying capacity of between 45,000 and 69,999 dwt.
    • Handysize vesssels with a carrying capacity of between 10,000 and 44,999 dwt.

  • Dry bulk trade is often divided at a high level into “major bulk” and “minor bulk” commodities:

    • The major bulks consist of iron ore, coal and grain.
    • Minor bulks cover a wide variety of commodities, such as forest products, iron and steel products, fertilisers, agricultural products, metal ores, minerals and petcoke, cement, other construction materials, scrap metal and salt.