Metallurgical coal, a key component for metallurgy, and specifically for steel production, is one of the goods transported by sea in large quantities. The primary means of transport for this good so far in 2025, based on data from AXSMarine, are Panamaxes.
This year, in fact, Panamaxes broke records, transporting 81.5 of the 193 million metric tons that were transported in total so far in 2025. This quantity corresponds to 42.2% of the total volume of this good that was transported by sea, from last January until today. Furthermore, this volume constitutes an annual increase of 8.9% regarding the quantity of metallurgical coal transported by this specific category of ships, while at the same time the share of other categories of bulk carriers in the same market is shrinking.
Such is the case of Capesizes. Although they constitute the second most popular choice of charterers for the transport of metallurgical coal in the first eight months of the year, with a percentage of 31.7%, the share of this specific type of ship in the market retreated by 15.3% compared to the same period in 2024. In fact, this is the second consecutive year that the share of Capesizes charts a downward course. In the first eight months of 2023, Capesizes held 41.7% of the market, before this decreased to 35.3% in 2024.
The third most popular choice ‒based on AXSMarine‒ for seaborne coal transport was OverPanamax ships, with a carrying capacity from 85,000 to 100,000 dwt. These ships transported 30.8 million metric tons of the mineral in the first eight months of 2025, a volume that corresponds to 16% of the market and marks an annual increase of 2.2%.
Supramaxes and Panamaxes also suffered strong blows, with an annual decrease in their market share, for the first eight months of 2025, of 40% and 26.7% respectively.
