Jan 31 (Reuters) - The Baltic Exchange's main sea
freight index registered its biggest monthly percentage
fall in three years, weighed by weaker demand across all vessel
segments.
* The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize,
panamax and supramax shipping vessels, inched 1 point higher at
681 on Tuesday.
* But the main index has lost 55% for the month.
* The capesize index lost 1 point at 532, its lowest
in nearly five months.
* The index has fallen 76.5% for the month, the worst since
August 2022.
* Average daily earnings for capesizes , which
typically transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and
coal, decreased $7 to $4,411.
* Meanwhile, iron ore futures fell on Tuesday, with the
Dalian benchmark price pulling back from the previous session's
contract high, as traders assessed demand in top steel producer
China, while also keeping an eye on regulatory risks.
* The panamax index fell 8 points to 1,052. It was
down 31.5% for the month, marking the fourth consecutive monthly
decline.
* Average daily earnings for panamaxes , which
usually carry coal or grain cargoes of about 60,000 to 70,000
tonnes, decreased by $79 to $9,464.
* Among smaller vessels, the supramax index rose 12
points to 670. But it was down 37% for the month, the worst
since January 2020.
(Reporting by Ananya Bajpai in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi
Majumdar)
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