The Atlantic Supramax freight market continued to deal with an excess of ships Friday, with the number of inquiries from charterers insufficient to provide any support for prices, sources said.

The grain route from the US Gulf Coast to the Far East, basis 50,000 mt, was assessed unchanged at $17,000/d. While the USGC has made “some faintly positive sounds” recently in terms of grain requirements, a large amount of available ships is competing for every inquiry made, a shipbroker said.

“Grain volumes on the USGC would have to be super strong for them to have an effect on the tonnage,” he said.

Modest amounts of cargo are coming out of the Black Sea, but the wider Mediterranean region continues to see an excess of tonnage, sources said.

With most grain stems heading from the Black Sea to North African destinations, the Mediterranean was functioning like “a conveyor belt” of tonnage, a shipbroker said, with few ships venturing away from it.

Front-haul rates for Supramaxes taking 50,000-mt grain cargoes from the Black Sea to Asia were valued flat at $13,000/mt.

Demand on the UK-Continent showed no foreseeable signs of recovering, with the tonnage list there also substantial, sources said.

The scrap metal route from Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp to Turkey route, basis 50,000 mt, was valued unchanged day on day at $12,750/d.

“Rates on the UK-Continent can’t go any worse,” said a shipbroker. “Owners won’t lower their offers further as they can’t afford it.”