Iron-Ore Ship Rates Rise as China Spends

Iron-Ore carrier daily rates rebound as China spends US$158-billion.

Iron-ore ships are poised to earn more than operating costs for the first time this year as rates rally on speculation Chinese steel mills will accelerate imports because of a 1 trillion-yuan ($158 billion) building program, reports Bloomberg Business News.

Capesizes, each carrying 160,000 metric tons of ore, will earn $12,500 a day in the fourth quarter, according to the median of eight analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg, compared with $4,459 on average since the end of June as assessed by the Baltic Exchange.

Source: Bloomberg