Freight
Overview
Oil, gas and dry cargoes are being shipped all over the world every day. With seaborne transportation comes exposure to shipping costs. Be it via direct cost or through the prices of feedstocks or finished products, a freight factor is always there. Highly sensitive to market shifts, geopolitics and regulations, freight is a complex and volatile part of every trade.
To manage this exposure, industry participants, from producers and traders to government agencies and financial institutions rely on our freight data for contracts, pricing formulas, analytics and arbitrage tracking.
Argus Freight consists of three dedicated services, covering trade flows for tankers, dry bulk and gas markets. Each service provides daily freight indexes, industry-specific news, market analysis and exclusive content. This enables you to connect the dots between commodity prices and shipping costs, giving you a complete view of the supply chain.
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US' China ship fees would boost costs, not shipbuilding
US' China ship fees would boost costs, not shipbuilding
New York, 19 March (Argus) — The US Trade Representative's (USTR) proposal to fine Chinese-built ships calling on US ports would cripple trade flows and increase costs for US consumers rather than promote domestic shipbuilding efforts, according to comments from shipping industry participants. Comments filed earlier this month from US industries that rely on shipborne cargo were critical of the USTR plan to fine owners of Chinese-built vessels between $500,000 and $1.5mn per port call, saying it would disrupt trade flows and increase US consumer costs . In more recent filings, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), shipbrokers and major shipping associations, among others, echoed those concerns, calling on the USTR to reconsider its proposal ahead of a public hearing the USTR will host on 24 March. The AAPA commended USTR's goal of revitalizing the US' domestic maritime industry, but warned that the proposed fine on Chinese-built ships would not have a positive impact on US shipbuilding efforts. "The fees will do little to grow the American shipbuilding industry, which needs major infusions of capital, workforce talent and innovation to begin competing with shipbuilders abroad," the AAPA said. Existing shipyards in the US are working at or near capacity, so higher demand will not enable them to produce additional ships with the "same number of resources", according to AAPA. The proposed fines would disrupt the efficient and cost-effective flow of essential goods to the American cities and industries, shipbroker Lightship said in its comments to the USTR proposal. "If the US were to tax Chinese vessels, then Japanese vessels and shipyards would be the directly benefited party, not the eventual US shipyards," the shipbroker said. A $1mn fee on Chinese vessels calling on US ports would be an effective $20/t surcharge on the 50,000t-sized cargoes common in the Supramax dry bulker segment that delivers critical cargoes to the US, Lightship said, such as the rock salt that de-ices roads along the US east coast. "The salt producer and seller will subsequently raise the price per ton of salt to offset these higher freight costs," Lightship said. Fees on Chinese vessels would split the global freight market into US-focused and US-avoidant shipping segments, according to major international shipping agency BIMCO, while the additional costs would be "passed on to the US consumer". "The totality of the world fleet would not change, but the overall cost of maritime trade would increase due to less competition in the now segregated US market," BIMCO said. "In this regard, it is worth keeping in mind that the US import/export is about 12pc of global seaborne trade, so the consequences of reorganizing maritime trade will have a much bigger impact on US import/export than on trade in the rest of the world." The threat of the proposals being instituted under US president Donald Trump's administration contributed to a nearly 20pc increase in freight rates last week for dry bulk vessels loading out of the US . The rise was notable for early signs of a bifurcation developing in US exports, as vessel operators without Chinese vessels in their fleet submitted higher $/d offers for US-loading cargoes compared to operators utilizing Chinese vessels in their fleet. By Charlotte Bawol Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Houthis to resume attacks on Israeli ships in Red Sea
Houthis to resume attacks on Israeli ships in Red Sea
New York, 11 March (Argus) — Yemeni rebel group the Houthis today said it will resume attacks on "Israeli ships" passing through the Red Sea, following the group's 7 March warning that it would restart if humanitarian aid was not let into Gaza. The group paused its attacks on ships after a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza went into effect on 19 January. But now it will resume its "ban on the passage of all Israeli ships in the designated operations zones in the Red and Arabian sea, as well as Bab-al-Mandab strait and the Gulf of Aden," according to posts it made on social media sites X and Telegram. "Any Israeli ships attempting to violate this ban shall be targeted in the declared zones of operations," the group said. "This ban shall continue until crossing to the Gaza Strip are reopened and aid, food and medicine are allowed in." The group in a 7 March video had said it would resume attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea if humanitarian aid was not allowed into Gaza . "If the enemy continues, after four days, to stop humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip, including food, medicine, then we will return to continuing our sea operations against the enemy," it said in the video. By Charlotte Bawol Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Protest blocks Vale's iron ore rail loadings in Brazil
Protest blocks Vale's iron ore rail loadings in Brazil
London, 11 March (Argus) — Protesters blocked Vale's Carajas railway on 9 March, according to a letter by LBH Brasil port agency sent to market participants. The blockade may disrupt iron ore shipments to Ponta da Madeira in northern Brazil and weigh on Atlantic Capesize rates, as previously happened in December 2024 . "Vale's Carajás Railroads has been impacted since 9 March, 2025, due to an occupation by protestors. The occupation has disrupted rail traffic along the corridor. As of today, the railroad remains interrupted. There are currently no concrete indications of immediate operational impacts on cargo transport. We are closely monitoring developments to assess any potential effects and will keep you informed as new information becomes available," LBH said in its letter. Brazilian iron ore exports fell in early December after a similar blockade of the Carajás railway . This month shipments reached just 6.2mn t in the first three working days of the month despite the Carnival holidays, and are projected to reach 39.3mn t in March, 49pc up from 26.3mn t in the same month last year, according to preliminary data. But final volumes could be significantly lower if the blockade will continue. Vale, the iron ore producer that owns this railway, has not commented. By Andrey Telegin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Tanker and cargo vessel collide in North Sea: Update
Tanker and cargo vessel collide in North Sea: Update
Adds details from tanker management London, 10 March (Argus) — An oil tanker and a container vessel are on fire in the UK North Sea after colliding earlier today, the UK coastguard said. Shiptracking data appear to show the US-flagged Medium Range (MR) tanker Stena Immaculate was at anchor when it was hit by Portuguese-flagged container vessel Solong. The Stena Immaculate's manager, US-based logistics company Crowley, said the incident resulted in a ruptured cargo tank containing jet fuel. It said all its employees on board are safe and accounted for. Market sources told Argus that the tanker was likely carrying jet fuel and diesel. Vortexa data show the tanker was on route to the UK's port of Immingham on the east coast of England, from the Greek port of Agioi Theodoroi. The Solong was plying a route from the east coast of Scotland to Rotterdam, according to vessel tracking data. "The incident remains ongoing and an assessment of the likely counter pollution response required is being enacted," the coastguard said. By Rhys van Dinther Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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