Banchero Costa Weekly Market Report: Global Seaborne Coal Loadings Rise 3.0% Year-on-Year Through July 2026
Key Takeaways
- •Global seaborne coal loadings reached 756.8 million tonnes in the first seven months of 2026, a 3.0% increase over the same period in 2025.
- •The figures were compiled by Banchero Costa using AIS vessel tracking data and exclude domestic coastal shipping movements.
- •Major coal-exporting nations include Indonesia, Australia, Russia, South Africa, and Colombia, while leading importers are China, India, Japan, South Korea, and several European countries.
- •Coal cargoes are primarily transported aboard Capesize, Panamax, and Supramax bulk carriers, meaning volume changes directly affect fleet utilization and freight conditions across multiple vessel segments.
- •China and India together account for the vast majority of global coal consumption, where coal remains the dominant fuel source for electricity generation.
Banchero Costa Weekly Market Report, Week 32 2026
Published 12 August 2026
Global seaborne coal loadings reached 756.8 million tonnes in the first seven months of 2026, representing a 3.0% increase compared with the same period in 2025, according to vessel tracking data compiled by Banchero Costa. The figures exclude cabotage, or domestic coastal shipping movements.
The data was published in the Banchero Costa Weekly Market Report for Week 32 of 2026, part of the firm's regular series of shipbrokers' reports.
The full report is available in PDF format via Hellenic Shipping News.
Source: banchero costa & c s.p.a.
Banchero Costa & C S.p.A., headquartered in Genoa, Italy, is an established international shipbroking firm providing freight market analysis, sale and purchase services, and periodic market reports across the dry bulk, tanker, and containership segments. The company publishes weekly market updates tracking cargo loadings, freight rate trends, and fleet movements based on AIS vessel tracking data.
Seaborne coal is one of the largest commodity trades within the global dry bulk shipping sector, and cargo loading volumes are a closely watched indicator of demand for bulk carrier capacity. Major coal-exporting nations include Indonesia, Australia, Russia, South Africa, and Colombia, while leading importers comprise China, India, Japan, South Korea, and several European countries. China and India together account for the vast majority of global coal consumption, where coal remains the primary fuel source for electricity generation. Coal cargoes are typically transported aboard Capesize, Panamax, and Supramax bulk carriers, which means that shifts in seaborne coal trade volumes can have a direct bearing on fleet utilization and freight market conditions across multiple vessel size segments.
