April 17 (Reuters) - The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk freight index, which monitors rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, surged to its highest in more than four months on Friday and logged a weekly rise, as vessels across the board gained.
o The main Baltic index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, was up 44 points, or 1.7%, at 2,567, its highest level since early December 2025.
o The index was up for the eleventh straight session and rose 16.6% for the week. This is its biggest weekly rise since the end of January.
o The capesize index added 102 points, or about 2.5%, to 4,128, its highest level in more than four months. The index logged a 24.4% weekly rise.
o Average daily earnings for capesize vessels, which typically transport 150,000-ton cargoes, including iron ore and coal, were up $920 at $33,932.
o Dalian iron ore futures edged higher on Friday, as investors weighed potential supply disruptions in Australia against tempered demand stemming from China's environmental curbs in a key steel-making province. [IRONORE/]
o "Freight markets show Pacific-led strength in Capesize," Kpler said in a note dated Wednesday.
o The panamax index added 5 points, or around 0.3%, to 1,975, marking the highest level since early March and logging a 6.5% weekly gain.
o Average daily earnings for panamax vessels, which usually carry 60,000 to 70,000 tons of coal or grain, increased by $43 to $17,773.
o The supramax index gained 17 points, or 1.2%, to 1,415. It posted a weekly rise of 8.2%.
(Reporting by Anjana Anil in Bengaluru; Editing by Diti Pujara)
