Maritime & Shipping, Agriculture, Dry Freight, Grains
February 02, 2026
Platts to change cargo size for Atlantic Ultramax grains and petcoke TCEs March 2
Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, will change the cargo volume reflected in its Atlantic Ultramax dry bulk time charter equivalent (TCE) assessments effective March 2, 2026.
Platts initially proposed to change the cargo sizes in a proposal note published Jan. 19.
The above change is driven by industry feedback and evolving market conditions. It aims to more accurately represent the typical cargo sizes currently traded on these routes.
The cargo size change applies to the following routes:
| Route | Current cargo size | Proposed cargo size |
| New Orleans, Louisiana to Kashima, Japan | 50,000 mt, plus or minus 10% | 55,000 mt, plus or minus 10% |
| Recalada, San Lorenzo, Argentina to Bejaia, Algeria | 40,000 mt, plus or minus 10% | 55,000 mt, plus or minus 10% |
| New Orleans, Lousiana to Iskenderun, Turkey | 50,000 mt, plus or minus 10% | 55,000 mt, plus or minus 10% |
| Houston, Texas to Krishnapatnam, India | 50,000 mt, plus or minus 10% | 55,000 mt, plus or minus 10% |
The Ultramax TCEs and indexes were first launched Nov. 1, 2023 and the relevant subscriber note can be found here: ( Platts launches Atlantic Ultramax grains, ferrous scrap, petcoke TCEs and weighted average Atlantic Ultramax dry bulk TCE indexes | S&P Global ).
The assessments affected are as follows:
| Assessment | Code | Mavg |
| New Orleans-Kashima grains time charter equivalent 0.5% VLSFO | DNQBA00 | DNQBA03 |
| New Orleans-Kashima grains time charter equivalent scrubber-fitted | DNQAA00 | DNQAA03 |
| Recalada-Bejaia grains time charter equivalent 0.5% VLSFO | GARAF00 | GARAF03 |
| Recalada-Bejaia grains time charter equivalent scrubber-fitted | GARAG00 | GARAG03 |
| New Orleans-Iskenderun petcoke time charter equivalent 0.5% VLSFO | CIPHA00 | CIPHA03 |
| New Orleans-Iskenderun petcoke time charter equivalent scrubber-fitted | CIPHB00 | CIPHB03 |
| Houston-Krishnapatnam petcoke time charter equivalent 0.5% VLSFO | GPHTE00 | GPHTE03 |
| Houston-Krishnapatnam petcoke time charter equivalent scrubber-fitted | GPHTF00 | GPHTF03 |
The above assessments appear in Dry Freight Wire, Platts Shipping Alert pages SH2614, SH2615, SH0612 and SH0613, and in the Platts price database under the codes above.
Please send all feedback, comments or questions to shipping@spglobal.com and pricegroup@spglobal.com.
For written comments, please provide a clear indication if comments are not intended for publication by Platts for public viewing.
Platts will consider all comments received and will make comments not marked as confidential available to the public upon request.