LONDON, June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Shipowners operating in the trans-Atlantic dry bulk market, where prices have been plumbing two-year lows on the back of acute vessel oversupply and shifting patterns in minerals demand, could be facing brighter days, according to the latest special report released by Platts, a leading global provider of energy and commodities information.

The 6-page study, titled "The Hour of the Wolf for Panamaxes," takes an in-depth look at coal and grain trade in the Atlantic; reviews supply and demand and other voyage economics for ship owners; and provides an analysis of the global Panamax fleet and order book. Panamaxes are mid-sized cargo vessels capable of passing through the Panama Canal and have long been revered as the workhorses of the global dry bulk fleet.

"The shrinking exports of U.S. thermal coal to Europe, falling bunker prices and a massive overhang of Panamax tonnage have kept freight rates depressed," said Peter Norfolk, Platts editorial director for global shipping and freight. "And while the short term outlook is quite bearish, with global deadweight capacity expected to rise the next two years, the medium-term forecast looks more positive past 2018."

The report notes that a large portion of the orders that are responsible for new vessel deliveries in 2015 through 2017 were placed back in 2010 to 2012.

"On the plus side, months of poor earnings have discouraged ship owners from further expanding fleets," said Alex Younevitch, Platts managing editor of freight markets and lead author of the study. "At the same time, a large proportion of the Panamax vessels is now old enough to be considered for scrapping. So the global fleet might become considerably younger and leaner in the next several years, which should pull freight rates higher and ease the burden on shipowners."

Access the full report here: http://www.platts.com/IM.Platts.Content/Downloads/Media/Atlantic-Panamax-Special-0615.pdf.

Access a Platts Commodity Pulse video discussion of the report by Norfolk and Younevitch at this link: http://www.platts.com/videos/2015/june/cp-dry-bulk-panamaxes-0618.

This report and additional shipping information and analysis are available via Platts' Dry Freight Wire, Dirty Tankerwire and Clean Tankerwire.

Also, for more information about shipping supply and demand and prices, visit www.platts.com.

About Platts: Founded in 1909, Platts is a leading global provider of energy, petrochemicals, metals and agriculture information and a premier source of benchmark prices for the physical and futures markets. Platts' news, pricing, analytics, commentary and conferences help customers make better-informed trading and business decisions and help the markets operate with greater transparency and efficiency. Customers in more than 150 countries benefit from Platts' coverage of the biofuels, carbon emissions, coal, electricity, oil, natural gas, metals, nuclear power, petrochemical, shipping and sugar markets. A division of McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI), Platts is based in London with more than 1,000 employees in more than 15 offices worldwide. Additional information is available at www.platts.com.

About McGraw Hill Financial: McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI) is a leading financial intelligence company providing the global capital and commodity markets with independent benchmarks, credit ratings, portfolio and enterprise risk solutions, and analytics. The Company's iconic brands include: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL and J.D. Power. The Company has approximately 17,000 employees in 30 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

Media Contact: Global, EMEA, Americas: Kathleen Tanzy, Kathleen.tanzy@platts.com, +1 212 904 2860 or +1 917 331 4607

SOURCE Platts

SOURCE: Platts