Aug 17 (Reuters) – The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index on Monday touched its highest in four weeks as rising supramax rates countered a decline in demand for capesize and panamax vessels.
* The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities and reflects rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, was up 3 points, or 0.2%, at 1,598, gaining for a fourteenth consecutive session.
* The supramax index rose 16 points, or 1.7%, to 943.
* The capesize index eased 2 points, or 0.1%, to 2,400.
* Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport cargoes of 170,000 tonnes to 180,000 tonnes, including iron ore and coal, were down $16 at $19,900.
* The panamax index slipped 5 points, or 0.3%, to 1,819.
* Average daily earnings for panamaxes, which usually carry coal or grain cargoes of about 60,000 tonnes to 70,000 tonnes, declined $43 to $16,372. (Reporting by K. Sathya Narayanan in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)
