About the Shipping Cost Monitor
A central dashboard tracking macro container indices, dry bulk commodities, raw tankers, marine fuels, and canal bottlenecks on a single page.
Why This Dashboard Matters
During global supply-chain shocks—such as Suez Canal security blockades, Panama Canal drought draft restrictions, or major port strikes—container shipping spot rates often swing by 50% to 200% within weeks. For manufacturers, retailers, agricultural exporters, and energy procurement departments, these spikes translate directly into millions of dollars in unexpected costs.
Prior to this dashboard, key indices like the Freightos Baltic Index (FBX), Drewry World Container Index (WCI), Baltic Dry Index (BDI), and Baltic Dirty Tanker Index (BDTI) were scattered across separate paywalls, press releases, or dense trade journals. We aggregate these indices alongside active fuel prices and chokepoint transits on a single, clean page.
Methodology & Container Indices Compared
Not all shipping indices are calculated the same way, which is why we show both prominent trackers side-by-side without combining them:
1. Drewry World Container Index (WCI)
The Drewry WCI represents a weekly assessed index published every Thursday. It is based on verified assessments from shipping experts of actual spot rates paid by mid-sized cargo owners, excluding contract rates or forward bookings. Priced in USD per 40-foot container equivalent unit (FEU).
2. Freightos Baltic Index (FBX)
The FBX is a daily-updated container rate tracker developed by Freightos in cooperation with the Baltic Exchange. It is calculated algorithmically using real-time, anonymized transaction data collected from ocean carriers, freight forwarders, and logistics players. It captures actual marketplace spot rates and represents a broader basket of global container traffic.
3. Dry Bulk vs. Wet Bulk Indices
- Baltic Dry Index (BDI): The standard global economic bellwether tracking spot rates for capesize, panamax, and supramax vessels carrying bulk raw materials (iron ore, coal, grain, cement).
- Baltic Dirty Tanker Index (BDTI): Measures spot chartering rates for transporting unrefined crude oil. Highly sensitive to geopolitical hazards and tanker reroutings around maritime choke points.
Glossary of Terms
- FEU (Forty-foot Equivalent Unit)
- The standard unit of measurement representing a standard 40-foot shipping container. Most container indices are priced per FEU.
- TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit)
- A standard 20-foot shipping container. Two TEUs equal one FEU.
- VLSFO (Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil)
- The primary marine fuel standard consumed by large shipping vessels since the IMO 2020 environmental sulfur limit rules. Priced per metric ton.
- MGO (Marine Gas Oil)
- A higher-quality, distillate marine fuel used primarily in port limits, environmental emission control areas (ECAs), and auxiliary machinery.
- Bunker Fuel
- The generic term for fuel oil loaded into ships' bunker tanks to run maritime vessels.