Japan’s Nisshin Shipping has spent the first month of the year trimming its bulker fleet, minimising its exposure to the ongoing dry cargo bloodbath. It has been shedding bulkers of all sizes, at a rate of more than one a week in 2016 so far, according to sales registers Splash has access to.
Brokers report that the 2008-built Aston Trader II is the latest to go, sold for $7m to unspecified buyers.
Last week Turkish power ship specialist Karadeniz was reported paying around $6m for the 2001-built cape, Nisshin Trader.
Nisshin has also offloaded two supramaxes, the Hudson Trader 1, and the Falcon Trader 1, built between 2006 and 2009.
Finally, Nisshin has also sold the 2013-built 84,000 dwt Canon Trader I.
The Japanese line is rebalancing its fleet to have a far stronger focus on tankers.