China's coastal bulk freight index down in July
BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's coastal bulk freight market saw a decrease in overall demand in July, data from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange (SSE) showed.
On a monthly basis, the composite index for coastal bulk freight, which measures transportation costs in the coastal shipping market, fell 5.8 percent to 1,173.51 in July.
The sub-index for coal saw the biggest fall of 7.4 percent, followed by that for metal ore and grain.
Bucking the downward trend, the sub-index for refined oil rose 0.4 percent, while the index for crude oil remained unchanged, according to the exchange.
In 2020, the composite index for coastal bulk freight averaged 1,039.13, SSE data showed.
The SSE initiated the index in 2001 under the guidance of the Ministry of Transport to fully reflect fluctuations in the Chinese coastal transport market.
