As the Oceanbolt platform generates real-time data about bulker movements and commodity trade flows, it acts as a powerful analytics engine for maritime data intelligence. This data intelligence is leveraged by dry bulk shipping companies, research institutes, educational institutions, and maritime media alike. For example, in a recent interview with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K-Line), members of their Drybulk Planning Group shared how they have enriched their market analysis by importing Oceanbolt’s vast amount of data into their database to visualize data in their business intelligence (BI) tool.

Recently, Oceanbolt data has been featured across the maritime media to analyze key trends in the commodities market, including dry bulk exports from Russia since the start of the Ukraine conflict and the impact of the Chinese ban on coal from Australia. Let’s take a look at what Oceanbolt data intelligence reveals about these industry trends.

Bulk exports from Russia

Oceanbolt data informed two recent news stories in Lloyds List discussing how the demand for bulk exports from Russia, mainly of coal and grain, remains strong, with high volumes of these commodities being exported despite challenges posed by EU sanctions.

Firstly, data from the Oceanbolt platform showed the total dry bulk exports from Russia decreased 3.4% to 280.5m tonnes in the period from February 20, 2022, to February 19 this year, compared with 290.3m tonnes in the same period a year earlier. 

In the article, I explained how coal, Russia’s biggest dry bulk export commodity, decreased by 1.8% to 192.8 million tonnes, while fertilizers, Russia’s second-largest dry bulk export, fell by 16.9% to 16.4 million tonnes. However, grains, the third-largest export group, grew by 13.7% to 20.8 million tonnes. Capesize and panamax volumes increased by 15% and 2%, while supramax and handysize volumes decreased by 5% and 18%.

A follow-up article in Lloyds List discussed how Russia’s bulk exports to Europe – specifically coal and grain – have dropped significantly due to various factors, including weather disruptions, lower production levels, and logistical issues. Oceanbolt’s commodity data confirmed that trade with continental Europe has decreased over the past 12 months. The trade volume in February 2022 versus February 2023 was 16.6 million tonnes, compared to 41.6 million tonnes in the previous year, a decline of around 60%.

Overall, the data from Oceanbolt stresses the importance of stable and reliable supply chains, and the potential impacts that disruptions to global trade can have on the global economy.

Beijing drops Australian coal ban

Splash 24/7 recently published an article on how the Chinese government has lifted its ban on Australian coal, which was initially put in place in late 2020.

Data from Oceanbolt showed that in the year to date, more than 3.2 million tons of coal have been exported from Australia to China, with the majority being transported on capesize vessels.

This latest move by the Chinese government to lift the ban for all companies marks a significant shift after two years and is seen as a diplomatic move to improve the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

The power of Oceanbolt

The Oceanbolt platform provides accessible insight into vessel tonnage, commodity trade flow, live and accurate vessel positions, port congestion, port activity, and turnaround times. Further, bulk shipping companies can now use geofence alerts to monitor vessel movements and improve operational efficiency. Today, Oceanbolt processes 30+ billion data points, makes 60+ million daily observations, and tracks 5+ billion tons of cargo each year over 140 commodities. This market intelligence empowers maritime professionals and commodity traders to make more informed, data-driven commercial and operational decisions. To discover the breadth of Oceanbolt’s maritime data intelligence for yourself, sign up for a free three-week trial.