UNITED KINGDOM February 15 2016 11:35 AM     

LONDON(Scrap Register): The main  sea freight index at Baltic Exchange for ships carrying dry bulk commodities  edged up for the first time this year on Friday boosted by higher rates for  panamax vessels.

The Baltic Dry Index, which provides an assessment of  the price of moving the major raw materials – such as coal, iron ore and grain –  by sea by taking in 23 shipping routes measured on a time charter basis, edged  up by 1 points to 291 on Friday.

However, the dry bulk market is expected  to remain under pressure for longer because of weak demand for commodities,  particularly from top global importer China.

The index is based on a  daily survey of agents all over the world. Baltic Dry hit a temporary peak on  May 20, 2008, when the index hit 11,793. The lowest level ever reached was on  Wednesday, February 10 2016, when the index plummeted to 290 points.