BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- China's coastal bulk freight market has seen a decline in general demand in the week ending Friday, according to the Shanghai Shipping Exchange (SSE).
The composite index for coastal bulk freight fell 0.4 percent week on week to 901.18, the SSE said.
The coal sub-index dropped by 0.4 percent to 873.37.
The sub-index for metal ore decreased by 0.7 percent to 944.52, and that for grain shrank by 0.7 percent to 609.29.
The SSE initiated the index in 2001 under the guidance of the Ministry of Transport to reflect the fluctuations of the Chinese coastal transport market.
