Oil trader Trafigura has only recently set up new dry-bulk wing Trafigura Maritime Ventures but it has already taken a Cosco-owned handymax for up to half a year.

Panamax rates continued to slump on Friday with Pacific roundtrips getting cheaper and numbers coming off in the Atlantic too.

There were a couple of good front-haul rates but two back hauls showed real weakness.

The supramax sector was, however, relatively buoyant with some expensive cargoes heading to Southeast Asia.

Panamaxes

The very old 64,800-dwt Handy V (built 1983) got a very strong $30,000 a day to shift from the Black Sea to the Far East.

Agroship spent just $1,500 a day under this for the 73,000-dwt Corviglia (built 1999) to run a front haul avoiding the Suez Canal.

On the back haul scene Norden spent just $11,000 a day on the 75,500-dwt Pessada (built 1999) and Liu Zhou Steel the same on the 76,600-dwt Pantazis L (built 2003).

Australian cargoes were cheap with Dreyfus spending $16,600 a day for a roundtrip from the Far East with the 82,100-dwt CS Olive (built 2009) and Sinochart just $150 a day more for the same itinerary with the 77,300-dwt Ajax (built 2007).

It wasn’t much more expensive taking a Pacific roundtrip to Mexico, North China Shipping spending $17,000 a day on the 73,900-dwt Jiu Long Feng (built 2002).

On the Atlantic side it was similarly gloomy as the 76,500-dwt Double Rejoice (built 2006) got just 420,250 a day for a two-legged trip from the Med to the Atlantic.

It was a bit better out of the Indian Ocean with a trip from India to China netting the 71,700-dwt Jia Ho (built 1997) $23,500 per day.

The period market has been muted and this barely lifted on Thursday as Bunge spent $17,500 a day on four to six months with the 72,900-dwt Alpha Future (built 1999).

Supramaxes

Period rates here held steady after recent drops with two units grabbing $15,000 a day each for periods of four to six months.

Oldendorff has the 50,800-dwt RM Pioneer (built 2006) while Trafigura wasted no time in getting its new dry-bulk arm up and running by taking Cosco’s 45,400-dwt Hui An (built 1997).

Spot numbers were good in places, like the $29,500 a day the 53,600-dwt Paguera (built 2003) got for a trip from the Black Sea to Southeast Asia.

This is also where Mittal is taking the 53,400-dwt Mairouli (built 2005) from West Africa via Brazil at a strong $26,000.

Oldendorff spent $15,500 a day and a bonus of $270,000 for the 52,000-dwt Equinox Voyager (built 2002) to sail from Brazil to Europe.