# Shipping and Supply Chain Data

> Vessel tracking, freight rates, customs and port data reveal global trade flows. Learn the main sources, indices like the Baltic Dry and how traders use them.

Source: https://learn.tradelabsai.com/alternative-data/shipping-and-supply-chain-data/  
Track: Data and Alternative Data · Level: Advanced · Updated: 2026-10-03  
Publisher: TradeLabs AI (https://tradelabsai.com). Education, not financial advice.  
Cite as: TradeLabs Learn, "Shipping and Supply Chain Data", https://learn.tradelabsai.com/alternative-data/shipping-and-supply-chain-data/

Most of the world's goods travel by sea. Every tanker, bulk carrier and container ship broadcasts its position, and every shipment generates records at ports and customs offices. Shipping and supply chain data turns this activity into signals about commodity supply, trade flows, manufacturing and inflation pressures. Commodity traders, macro investors and equity analysts use it to see trade patterns before official statistics are published.

## Main data sources

| Source | What it shows |
|---|---|
| AIS (Automatic Identification System) | Real time positions, speeds and destinations of vessels |
| Bills of lading and customs records | What was shipped, by whom, to whom (for example, US import records) |
| Port data | Congestion, waiting ships, container throughput |
| Freight rates | Cost of shipping goods and commodities |
| Satellite imagery | Ships, ports and stockpiles. See [Satellite, Foot Traffic and Geolocation Data](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/alternative-data/satellite-data/) |
| Trade statistics | Official monthly import and export data |

## Freight rate indices

| Index | Measures |
|---|---|
| Baltic Dry Index (BDI) | Cost of shipping dry bulk commodities such as iron ore, coal and grain |
| Container indices (Drewry World Container Index, Freightos Baltic Index, Shanghai Containerized Freight Index) | Cost of shipping containers on major routes |
| Tanker rates | Cost of shipping crude oil and refined products |

**Example: Container rates during the pandemic**
Before 2020, shipping a 40 foot container from Asia to the US West Coast typically cost around $1,500 to $2,000. Amid surging demand for goods and port congestion in 2021, spot rates on that route rose above $10,000, and some shippers paid even more. The spike signalled supply chain stress and added to goods inflation, months before it fully appeared in consumer prices. Rates later fell back sharply in 2022 as demand normalised. See [Inflation](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/macro/inflation/).

## How traders use shipping data

- **Oil:** tracking tanker movements shows exports from producers such as Saudi Arabia or Russia, and how much oil is floating at sea. See [Crude Oil](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/commodities/crude-oil/).
- **Sanctions monitoring:** analysts track "dark fleet" tankers that switch off AIS transponders to avoid sanctions.
- **Agriculture:** grain shipments from the US, Brazil, Ukraine and Russia. See [Agricultural Markets](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/commodities/agricultural-markets/).
- **Metals:** iron ore shipments from Australia and Brazil to China.
- **Macro:** container volumes and port activity as indicators of global trade and manufacturing. See [PMI](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/macro/pmi/).
- **Equities:** customs records show a company's shipments, suppliers and customers.

## Supply chain stress indicators

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York publishes the Global Supply Chain Pressure Index, combining shipping costs and purchasing manager survey components. It surged to record highs in late 2021 and has been used to track how supply chain disruptions feed into inflation.

## Chokepoints and disruptions

Shipping data highlights vulnerabilities at key chokepoints:

| Chokepoint | Example disruption |
|---|---|
| Suez Canal | The container ship Ever Given blocked the canal for six days in March 2021 |
| Red Sea and Bab el Mandeb | Attacks on ships from late 2023 forced many vessels to reroute around Africa, raising costs and transit times |
| Panama Canal | Drought in 2023 reduced the number of ships allowed through |
| Strait of Hormuz | A large share of seaborne oil passes through it |

## Limits

- **AIS gaps:** transponders can be switched off or spoofed.
- **Lags and revisions** in customs data.
- **Interpretation:** a ship's destination may change en route.
- **Freight rates reflect both demand and supply** (ship availability), so they are not pure demand signals.
- **Cost:** high quality vessel and trade data is expensive.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the Baltic Dry Index?

An index of the cost of shipping dry bulk commodities such as iron ore, coal and grain, often watched as a gauge of global trade and commodity demand.

### How do traders use ship tracking data?

To monitor commodity exports and imports, floating storage, sanctions evasion and trade flows in near real time.

### Why did shipping costs spike in 2021?

Surging demand for goods, port congestion and disrupted supply chains during the pandemic pushed container shipping rates to record levels.

Next, learn what hiring trends reveal in [Job Postings Data](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/alternative-data/job-postings-data/).

## Continue learning

- Next lesson: [Job Postings Data](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/alternative-data/job-postings-data/)
- Previous lesson: [Satellite, Foot Traffic and Geolocation Data](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/alternative-data/satellite-data/)
- Related: [Satellite, Foot Traffic and Geolocation Data](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/alternative-data/satellite-data/): Satellite imagery tracks economic activity from space, from retail parking lots to oil storage and crops. Learn how investors use it, the research and the limits.
- Related: [Alternative Data Explained](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/alternative-data/alternative-data-explained/): Alternative data is non traditional information like card spending, web traffic and satellite images. Learn the main types, how funds use it and the risks.
- Related: [Commodity Market Fundamentals](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/commodities/commodity-market-fundamentals/): Commodity prices are driven by physical supply and demand, inventories, the dollar and weather. Learn the main sectors, key drivers, participants and data.
- Related: [Crude Oil](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/commodities/crude-oil/): Crude oil is the world's most traded commodity. Learn WTI vs Brent, the futures contracts, OPEC+, shale, inventory reports and how traders approach oil.
- Related: [PMI](https://learn.tradelabsai.com/macro/pmi/): PMIs survey purchasing managers about business conditions, giving an early read on growth. Learn how ISM and S&P Global PMIs work, the 50 line and market reactions.