Capesize bulkers enter a new era as bauxite overtakes coal. What next for freight markets?

Bauxite has overtaken coal as the second-biggest generator of shipping demand for capesizes, heralding a new era for the largest class of bulk carriers.

Growth in demand for bauxite shipping has evolved over the past decade from a panamax trade at draught-restricted ports in West Africa — prompting the development of kamsarmax vessels — to essentially a capesize-only trade to China.