MARITIME EDGE · MARKET INTELLIGENCE
Global Shipping Market Data: Freight Rates, Bunker Prices & Maritime Trade
Track the economic forces behind commercial shipping: container and dry-bulk freight benchmarks, tanker charter markets, marine fuel costs, global seaborne cargo and port connectivity. Every published observation identifies its unit, reporting period and original source.
Public, original market interpretation · No recruitment statistics · No simulated live quotations
Maritime Market Intelligence by Maritime Bridge is an economic research guide, not a vacancy portal or a trading terminal. Some benchmarks have free public descriptions but require a separate data licence to publish values. Those benchmarks are explained and linked to their official publishers rather than copied into charts without permission.
Historical reference figures, not current-day estimates. Source: UNCTADstat Maritime Transport Data Insights and Review of Maritime Transport.
01 · SEABORNE ECONOMICS
Global Maritime Trade: Cargo Volumes, Routes & Transport Costs
Maritime trade demand depends on more than the tonnes shipped. The distance a cargo moves, the speed of the voyage and congestion at intermediate ports also change how much vessel capacity is needed. One tonne carried over a longer route creates more tonne-miles, consuming ship time even when cargo volume is unchanged.
UNCTAD's Review of Maritime Transport 2025 records a 5.9% increase in tonne-miles during 2024, reflecting route diversions. This historical observation helps explain why freight-market pressure cannot be inferred from trade tonnage alone.
What moves freight markets?
Demand and tonne-miles
Seaborne cargo tonnes, route distance and seasonality alter vessel utilisation. Re-routing can increase effective transport demand without increasing cargo volumes.
Fleet supply
Newbuilding deliveries, recycling, idle capacity, vessel speed and port turnaround influence the ships available to charterers.
Operating costs
Bunkers, port charges, canal tolls, insurance, emissions rules and charter terms affect the voyage economics behind a freight quotation.
Freight Rates & Shipping Indices: BDI, FBX, WCI and Tanker Markets
Freight benchmarks cover different ship types, routes and units. The Baltic Dry Index is a dry-bulk indicator; it is not a container rate and cannot be directly compared with a container freight price per FEU. Tanker spot earnings and Worldscale assessments are different measures again.
GLOBAL CONTAINER FREIGHT · FREIGHTOS
Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) — global container freight
Official USD per 40-foot container (FEU) benchmark. Freightos publishes daily and weekly assessments; API availability and public presentation depend on contract permissions. Observations are dated and attributed, never simulated.
Checking official Freightos access…
FBX describes the container market, not bulk-carrier charter rates. For dry bulk, see the USDA open-data grain-ocean indicators below and the linked Baltic Dry Index publisher.
NOVEMBER 6 · VERIFIED PUBLIC HEADLINES
Latest source-dated freight observations
Directly dated index headlines from publisher announcements, not invented live market prices or licensed redistributions. Each value carries the publication date and source.
Loading dated freight observations…
More dry-bulk freight benchmarks and ocean rate observations
Official USDA rate series · most recent confirmed September 2026 snapshot. Checking for newer reported values…
Compare actual reported USD-per-tonne bulk-grain shipping costs with weekly cost indices, and open publisher-hosted coal and dry-bulk benchmarks. Dates, units and geography matter: none of these represents a global Baltic Dry Index or a current negotiated fixture.
US Gulf → Japan
$76.38 USD/mtSeptember 2026 published monthly average · historical quotation, not today's freight rate.
View official monthly series ↗Pacific Northwest → Japan
$37.31 USD/mtSeptember 2026 published monthly average · historical quotation, not today's freight rate.
View official monthly series ↗US Gulf vs Pacific Northwest
$39.07 USD/mtSeptember 2026 route difference, as published by USDA.
Inspect official spread ↗China coastal bulk coal freight. Daily composite index and route-specific reference quotations; official Shanghai Shipping Exchange publisher.
View official coal index ↗Weekly Chinese coastal bulk freight composite with coal, grains, ores and oil cargo components.
View official bulk freight indices ↗Baltic Exchange global dry-bulk market benchmark, distinct from China coastal indices and USDA grain route rates.
View Baltic Exchange indices ↗USDA published monthly vessel-rate observations are historic USD/mt values. The Shanghai Shipping Exchange prohibits republication of its index values without permission, so Maritime Bridge links to the publisher rather than mirroring its data. Ship & Bunker and Baltic Exchange also retain their own redistribution rights.
USDA Ocean Freight Cost Indices — US Gulf and Pacific Northwest to Japan
Two independently published US Department of Agriculture indicators of the cost of ocean transport for bulk grain. These are narrow route-specific indices (2017 = 100), not BDI, FBX, WCI or container freight prices. The latest dates and movements are read from the USDA's public API; nothing is inferred if the API is unavailable.
Connecting to USDA AgTransport public data…
| Benchmark | Market and definition | Reference unit | Primary source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltic Dry Index (BDI) | Composite index describing dry-bulk spot shipping markets, with vessel size segments such as Capesize, Panamax and Supramax. | Index points | Baltic Exchange ↗ |
| Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) | Container spot rate benchmarks across 12 major trade lanes. FBX00 aggregates routes; individual lanes have separate quotes. | USD per 40-foot container (FEU) | Freightos ↗ |
| World Container Index (WCI) | Drewry's weekly container freight assessment and lane-level market commentary. | USD per 40-foot container (FEU) | Drewry ↗ |
| BDTI / BCTI | Baltic benchmarks for dirty and clean tanker freight markets; voyage route assessments must be interpreted separately. | Index points | Baltic Exchange ↗ |
The tables explain index families; they do not reproduce licensed daily levels, index histories or paid market assessments. Check source timestamps and usage terms on the linked services.
Container freight versus time charter rates
A container spot rate normally refers to a shipment or route and can include defined surcharges, whereas a time charter rate is the hire paid for vessel employment over time. The commercial risk allocation differs according to the agreement. Changes in one benchmark do not imply equivalent changes in the other.
Dry bulk and tanker market cycles
Dry-bulk employment depends heavily on commodity cargoes and ship size. Crude and product tanker rates reflect refinery patterns, oil flows, vessel supply and regional restrictions. Route-specific observations are more useful than assuming one index describes the whole maritime economy.
03 · SHIPPING FUEL ECONOMICS
Bunker Prices, Marine Fuel Grades & Brent Crude Oil
Marine fuel pricing is sensitive to energy markets, refining, local port supply and fuel specifications. Brent is a crude oil benchmark, not a delivered VLSFO or marine gas oil quotation. For meaningful comparisons, distinguish USD per barrel from bunker USD per metric tonne.
Quote timing, sulphur content, quantity, supply method and port location can cause different bunker prices. A reference listed by a provider is not an executable price for a vessel, and vessel managers should confirm the offered grade and delivery terms.
NOVEMBER 6 · MARINE FUEL BENCHMARKS
Ship & Bunker · Official marine fuel prices by grade and port
VLSFO, MGO and IFO380 prices are available directly from the Ship & Bunker price board. We do not reproduce a third-party licensed feed without permission; every link opens its official current USD/mt quotation.
VLSFO, MGO and IFO380 in USD per metric tonne. Values appear only when supplied by the broker as original quotations or obtained with a documented data-redistribution licence. A provider's publicly readable price table is not itself a licence to republish its feed.
Checking dated bunker reference prices…
VLSFO
Very low sulphur fuel oil; compare grade specifications, port, availability and delivery terms.
MGO
Marine gas oil; used in a range of marine engines and operating circumstances, subject to relevant requirements.
HSFO / IFO380
Residual marine fuels whose suitability depends on vessel equipment and applicable environmental restrictions.
Marine Fuel Market Desk: Brent & Bunker Price Scenarios
Explore a user-defined Brent price sensitivity scenario and compare bunker grade definitions. These calculations are illustrative, not a daily bunker quote or a forecast; third-party price feeds are linked under their original licences.
Brent crude: scenario exploration
Change the starting Brent price and illustrative percentage variation to explore possible arithmetic outcomes. These are not forecasts and not marine-fuel quotations.
Brent spot, USD/barrel. Enter your own dated reference from EIA/FRED. · EIA via FREDBUNKER MARKET WATCH
VLSFO · MGO · IFO380 · Singapore · Rotterdam · Houston · Fujairah
Bunker prices are displayed only from owner-originated quotations or authorised sources. Ship & Bunker, Baltic Exchange, Drewry and other indices retain separate data rights. No live bunker quotation or licensed continuous data stream is implied. Baltic Exchange index levels and historical charts are not reproduced because licensed redistribution is required. Maritime Bridge's own country hiring ranking appears above; market connectivity and oil scenarios are independent of vacancy counts.
Port Throughput, Container Traffic & Liner Shipping Connectivity
Port container throughput measures physical handling, usually reported in TEU, while the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index describes access to the liner network. Neither is a freight price. The comparison helps explain why a hub may be connected to many shipping services without having the same mix of import, export and transshipment cargo as another port.
Container shipping connectivity
Selected September 2026 national Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) observations, not freight rates or hiring statistics.
LSCI points · Published 28 September 2026 · UNCTAD sourceMaritime activity and trade: official indicators
Container throughput (World Bank) and European seaborne freight and passenger activity (Eurostat), presented with their reporting years. These observations reflect cargo and passenger transport, not vacancies, employment counts or confirmed hires.
Loading official economic observations…
Maritime Market Data Sources, Reporting Dates & Licences
Observations in this guide are attributed to their original publishers and retain their dates and units. Shipping data is not necessarily released daily: trade volumes can be annual, connectivity monthly, bunker quotes intraday and freight benchmarks daily or weekly. The age of a figure is shown instead of concealing it behind a generic live-data label.
Independent public statistics
UNCTAD supplies seaborne trade volumes and connectivity; publicly published Eurostat and World Bank maritime transport observations may also appear when the data endpoint returns verifiable values. Missing data is omitted, not estimated.
Licensed commercial assessments
Baltic Exchange, Drewry, Freightos and commercial bunker platforms set access and redistribution terms. This page links to official services and offers original interpretation; subscription data is never replicated without permission.
Scenarios are not market forecasts
The oil calculator multiplies a price entered by the visitor by an assumed percentage. It does not estimate the future price of crude oil, fuel oil or maritime transport. No financial, trading or chartering recommendation is implied.
Reference library: UNCTAD shipping data · UNCTAD connectivity · EIA/FRED Brent · Baltic Exchange · Freightos FBX · Drewry WCI.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shipping Market Data
What is the Baltic Dry Index (BDI)?
The BDI is an index of dry-bulk shipping rates compiled by the Baltic Exchange. It reflects the freight market for moving unpackaged dry commodities. It should not be used as a container freight price or a tanker hire quote.
Where can I check global container freight rates?
Freightos publishes its FBX container market benchmark and Drewry publishes the World Container Index (WCI). Read the latest observations and usage terms at the source; routes, frequency and calculation methods differ.
Are bunker prices and Brent crude oil the same?
No. Brent is a crude-oil reference generally quoted in USD per barrel, while marine fuel quotations refer to refined fuel grades, specific supply ports and usually USD per metric tonne. Changes need not be proportional.
What is the difference between port throughput and maritime connectivity?
Throughput describes the cargo handled; connectivity describes access to shipping networks. A hub can have a very high connectivity score without being the largest origin or destination for all cargo categories.
Are these market prices live or investment forecasts?
No. This observatory uses dated primary-source observations, references to third-party benchmarks and user-specified sensitivity calculations. It does not display an authorised real-time freight or bunker price feed and does not produce investment forecasts.
Explore the labour market and weekly maritime analysis
Shipping economics and recruitment patterns are related but different datasets. For current job advertisements, geographic vacancy concentration or maritime career opportunities, see our dedicated hiring resources.
Maritime Hiring Index ↗Weekly Maritime Reports ↗Find Maritime Jobs ↗