Dynamic volatility spillover between oil and marine shipping industry

Abstract

Oil consumption not only makes up a large percentage of the overall operating expenses for the marine shipping industry, besides that, the tanker sector is a major carrier of global oil supply, which magnifies the relevance of oil market for the shipping industry. In this backdrop, the following study examines the volatility transmission between marine shipping industry’s tanker and dry cargo market and oil market using daily data from May 2006 to August 2021 by employing spillover index methodology. The empirical results suggest pronounced spillovers for the tanker market while lower spillovers are observed for dry cargo market, indicating the well-integrated tanker market in comparison to dry cargo sector and oil market. The volatility in oil prices contributed higher spillovers in the tanker market, and remained a net contributor. The volatility in oil prices is a significant source of the volatility transmission during periods of the sudden drop in oil prices coupled with the higher volatility in oil market, and is a net receiver during stable periods. The period of higher spillovers lasts longer for the tanker sector as compared to dry cargo sector. In the particular case of dry cargo market, the smaller (larger) the size of the vessels, the greater (lower) are the spillovers observed (From and To). Hedging turns out be irrelevant during turmoil periods, as the comovement between shipping and oil market becomes stronger. The spillovers are pronounced during the period of financial crisis, COVID-19 and 2014–2016, owing to the significant fluctuations in oil prices and a troubled period for marine shipping industry.