The UK's Baltic Exchange aims to promote transparency for owners with a new assessment of vessel operating costs.
The Baltic Operating Expense Index (BOI) will be published every three months.
It will be based on assessments from three ship managers, Anglo-Eastern, Columbia Shipmanagement and Fleet Management, which together handle more than 1,800 ships.
Additional companies are expected to join the panel in the future and a residual price calculation added later this year, the Baltic said.