A record was set during the third quarter of 2025 for dry bulk sea transport. Specifically, according to data from Signal Ocean, this period was the period with the largest volume of exports among the main dry bulk cargoes. The driving force behind the increased sea transport of iron ore, coal, and soybeans was the high demand from China.
Iron ore was one of the most “traveled” bulk commodities during September, with the total volume moved by sea in the same month amounting to 154.1 million metric tons. This represents an increase of around 2% compared to September 2024. However, as China’s warehouses are “teeming” with iron ore inventories, Signal estimates that the Asian country’s imports may decrease by the end of the year.
Regarding coal cargoes, Signal’s data highlights that total exports amounted to 127 million metric tons during September, also recording a 2% increase on an annual basis. The increase recorded in sea coal transport is specifically due to a 4% year-on-year increase in thermal coal shipments, a large part of which set course for East Asia.
Finally, the volume of soybeans transported by sea during the month of September was also noteworthy. In more detail, the total volume of soybean exports amounted to 13.3 million metric tons, recording an impressive increase of 37%, compared to September 2024. In the same month, soybean imports by China increased by 66% on an annual basis.
