Dry Bulk Market: Capesize Market on the Rise in Dry Bulk Market , International Shipping News 18/05/2026 C apesize The market enjoyed a convincingly firmer week overall, with sentiment steadily improving across both basins as reduced vessel availability and sustained cargo flow gradually shifted the balance back in owners’ favour. While the Pacific opened in a relatively stable and subdued manner, consistent miner presence on C5 throughout the week provided an important underlying floor to rates. Activity ultimately firmed midweek as fixtures pushed towards the high $15s, although charterer resistance re-emerged into Thursday amid a quieter Ascension Day-affected session, with rates easing back closer to $15.00. The primary driver behind the week’s gains came from the South Brazil and West Africa to China markets, where a surge in C3 fixing activity rapidly absorbed prompt tonnage and materially reduced vessel availability for early-to-mid June laycans. This shift in balance lifted sentiment considerably, with C3 rates climbing steadily from the low $36s into the high $37s at the week’s peak, before easing back into the high $36s by week’s end. The North Atlantic also improved as the week progressed, supported by fresh transatlantic demand and a progressively tighter tonnage list, resulting in notable gains for both front-haul and transatlantic rates. Panamax The Panamax market maintained strong upward momentum this week, with the P5TC rising from $20,548 on Monday to $22,691 by Friday. In the Atlantic, firm owner sentiment persisted, largely driven by robust fronthaul levels, tightening vessel supply, and continued grain exports from North and East Coast South America, while mineral demand showed signs of gradual improvement. Transatlantic activity remained relatively balanced but subdued, with limited fixtures offset by firmer rate expectations. In the Pacific, consistent mineral flows from Indonesia and Australia, combined with improving North Pacific grain deman