Moore Seminar – Beyond Freight Rates: Understanding Vessel Operating Costs Through the Moore Maritime Index

While freight rates often dominate discussions in the shipping industry, vessel operating costs remain one of the most important yet least transparent drivers of financial performance and asset value.

This one hour seminar will explore the key components of vessel operating costs, including crew expenses, insurance, maintenance and repairs, dry-docking, technical management, regulatory compliance, and other factors influencing the total cost of vessel ownership and operation. Participants will gain practical insights into how operating costs vary across vessel types, ages, and trading patterns, and how these costs affect chartering, investment, valuation, financing, and financial reporting decisions.

The session will also introduce the Moore Maritime Index, our statistical and analytics tool for shipping operating costs and revenues of more than 1,500 vessels. We extract our data from the financial statements of ship-owning companies audited by Moore Global member firms, as well as from verifiable independent submissions from all around the world. Through selected case studies and market observations, the seminar will demonstrate how the Index can be used by shipowners, charterers, financiers, investors, auditors, and other maritime stakeholders to benchmark performance, evaluate costs, and support informed decision-making in an increasingly complex and competitive shipping environment.