Recorded loadings of steel from the Black Sea fell sharply in the third quarter of 2026, according to a report published by reports on 14 October 2026. Volumes including scrap plunged year on year as the source linked the fall to rising shipping risks in the region.
reports recorded total loadings of 0.65 million tonnes in Q3 2026, down 65.6 per cent from the same quarter a year earlier. Those loadings were carried on 51 voyages in Q3 2026, compared with 129 voyages in Q3 2025.
The decline accelerated as the quarter progressed, the report showed. July’s loadings fell 28.0 per cent year on year, August dropped 80.6 per cent and September plunged 96.0 per cent.
September’s recorded volume was 20,690 tonnes, made up in part by loadings from Turkey of 12,750 tonnes and by shipments from Romania and other origins. The figures reported include both finished steel and scrap consignments.
Quarter-on-quarter trajectory
The quarterly data underline a rapid unwinding of seaborne steel movements through the Black Sea basin. A reduction in the number of voyages, from 129 to 51 year on year, magnified the volume decline and left monthly figures showing an increasingly steep descent.
reports’s breakdown makes clear that the deterioration was not uniform across the quarter but intensified in late summer, with September effectively registering a near standstill in recorded loadings compared with a year earlier.
Recorded destinations and cargo types
The published summary specifies that the reported totals encompass scrap alongside other steel cargoes, and highlights Turkey and Romania among the countries recorded as loadings in September. No individual seaport names were provided in the item.
The combination of fewer voyages and sharply lower monthly loadings produced the 65.6 per cent year‑on‑year fall for the quarter as a whole, a contraction that will be closely watched by charterers, traders and downstream steel users.
Key figures from The report
- Q3 2026 recorded steel loadings (including scrap): 0.65 million tonnes, down 65.6 per cent year on year.
- Voyages: 51 in Q3 2026 versus 129 in Q3 2025.
- Monthly year‑on‑year declines: July −28.0 per cent, August −80.6 per cent, September −96.0 per cent.
- September recorded volumes: 20,690 tonnes, including 12,750 tonnes loaded in Turkey.
The source framed the fall in loadings against a backdrop of rising shipping risks, a factor that may have discouraged voyages or diverted cargoes onto other routes or modes. The published note did not itemise the specific risks or events behind the assessment.
Market participants will be seeking further detail on the nature of the flows that did move, and on how much trade has shifted away from reported seaborne routes. reports’s figures serve as an early quantitative indicator of a dramatic short‑term contraction in Black Sea steel shipments.
Those watching regional commodity flows and freight markets will view the data as a prompt to reassess short‑term tonnage demand and cargo availability. The sharp month‑by‑month decline implies an acute reduction in activity during September that is unlikely to be fully reflected in traditional quarterly averages.
Further updates and more granular port‑level reporting will be required to understand whether the decline represents a temporary disruption, a sustained rerouting of steel trade, or a broader structural change in Black Sea maritime commerce. For now the published statistics show a steep fall in recorded seaborne steel movements through the quarter ending 30 September 2026.
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