Declining capesize, panamax rates weigh on Baltic index

Aug 19 (Reuters) - The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index fell on Wednesday, hurt by lower demand for capesize and panamax vessel segments.

* The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities and reflects rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, fell 18 points, or 1.1%, to 1,568.

* The capesize index dropped 28 points, or 1.2%, to 2,347.

* Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport cargoes of 170,000 tonnes to 180,000 tonnes including iron ore and coal, were down by $225 at $19,468.

* The panamax index fell 41 points, or 2.3%, to 1,757.

* Average daily earnings for panamaxes, which usually carry coal or grain cargoes of about 60,000 tonnes to 70,000 tonnes, fell by $366 to $15,815.

* The supramax index inched up 5 points to 954. (Reporting by K. Sathya Narayanan in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)