Global cement and clinker shipments rose sharply in 2025, driven primarily by booming demand along Africa’s Atlantic coast. Between January and November, total shipments increased 13 per cent YoY, with exports to the region soaring 39 per cent, according to BIMCO Shipping Analysis Manager Filipe Gouveia. Strong economic growth, rapid urbanisation, and expanding infrastructure projects have fuelled construction activity, pushing many countries—most of which lack sufficient domestic production capacity—to rely heavily on imports. Limited clinker production, in particular, continues to underpin bulk shipping demand.
Supramax and handysize vessels dominate this trade, carrying 60 and 38 per cent of shipment volumes respectively. Higher imports from Asia have lengthened average sailing distances, lifting tonne-mile demand for cement and clinker by 23 per cent YoY, reports Ilnautilus. These cargoes now account for six per cent of supramax and five per cent of handysize tonne-mile demand, and roughly two per cent of total dry bulk tonne-miles.
Outside Africa, shipments have grown in East and Southeast Asia and parts of the Americas. Price competition is intensifying as Asian exporters face overcapacity and weak domestic demand. Chinese seaborne exports have jumped 135 per cent, while Vietnam remains the world’s top exporter with a 16 per cent increase. Meanwhile, US imports rose modestly despite tariff hikes, as domestic clinker output declined. Looking ahead, Gouveia expects African demand and competitive pricing to support trade, though softening US building permits signal potential short-term weakness.
