SHANGHAI, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's coastal bulk freight index went up 1.5 percent month on month in September, data from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange (SSE) showed.

Last month, the composite index for coastal bulk freight, which measures transportation costs in the coastal shipping market, stood at 951.41, according to the SSE.

In this period, the sub-index for refined oil logged the most notable increase of 3.2 percent, followed by that for coal and metal ore.

The sub-index for grain dropped 2.7 percent from the previous month, and the sub-index for crude oil remained flat on a monthly basis in September.

The SSE initiated the index in 2001 under the guidance of the Ministry of Transport to fully reflect fluctuations in the Chinese coastal transport market.