Hong Kong-listed Seacon Shipping is shipping out the 2010-built supramax bulker Seacon Dalian it currently has on charter under a bareboat agreement.
it currently has on charter under a bareboat agreement.The Qingdao-based shipowner and operator, via its subsidiary Golden Orchid, will lift a purchase option for the 57,005 dwt vessel at Bank of Communications Financial Leasing’s (BoCom Leasing) shipowning arm, Xiang B5 HK International Ship Lease, and then sell it to Indonesia’s tug and barge specialist, PT Cakra Buana Resources Energi for $12.8m. Seacon bareboat chartered the ship for five years in November 2019.
The disposal of the COSCO Zhoushan-build vessel, which is expected to change ownership in January next year, is in line with Seacon’s ongoing strategy to optimise its fleet by gradually phasing out its older controlled vessels, the company said. The net proceeds from the sale will be used to finance potential vessel acquisitions and as general working capital.
Ever since its IPO in March, the company has been looking to add newer tonnage. With ships under construction in China and Japan, the Seacon’s controlled fleet is expected to increase to around 35 ships by the end of 2025.
The company also recently added the 2009-built 17,100 dwt chemical tanker Chem Lyra through a 60-month bareboat deal, which includes an obligation to buy at the end as well as a prior-end purchase option worth around $14.6m in total.
