With the Baltic Dry Index at highs this week not seen for more than 40 months, owners’ hunt for prized secondhand bulkers has continued unabated with supramaxes remaining the most in vogue ship type.
“The love for bulkers continues in the second-hand market where buyers have remained focused on tonnage built after 2000, while interest in container vessels has also been impressive particularly for panamax size or smaller,” Intermodal said in its latest weekly report.
On the bulker side, Allied Shipbrokers reported Greek owner New Horizon paying $12.5m for the 2007-built supramax bulker Neptune Pioneer from Japanese owner Abo Shoten. In another deal, Optima Shipbrokers and Allied Shipbrokers both reported that Chinese owner Huarong Marine sold the 2012-built supramax Chang Hua to compatriot coastal and river container shipping operator Guangdong Yuean Shipping for $10.1m.
Additionally, Intermodal reported that George Youroukos-led Technomar Shipping is behind the purchase of the panamax bulker Chengyang Eminence from China’s Hong Xiang Shipping. The 2013-built vessel fetched up a price of $16m. The Greek owner has bought six secondhand bulkers since June this year.
“On the tanker side, activity continues to remain limited with a very limited number of units changing hands. We were able to see another VLCC change hands this week, with prices still remaining under pressure and having started to entice some buyers who are looking to grab any bargain opportunities that emerge. There is still however a sense amongst buyers that prices still have further drops to show,” Allied Shipbrokers said in its weekly report.
In addition to the sale of VLCC Fujikawa earlier this week, multiple shipbroking houses including Clarkson, Andreas J. Zachariassen, and Fearnleys reported Gener8 Maritime’s sale of the 2000-built suzemax tanker Gener8 Argus to a Greek owner, while Intermodal has identified the buyer as Greek shipowner Nicholas Moundreas’ NGM Energy, which acquired the vessel for $11m.
For the container S&P market, Intermodal and Clarkson both reported the sale of two feeder boxships, the 2008-built HS Liszt and the 2007-built Tiger Goman. Rapid growing German owner MPC Containers acquired the two ships en bloc from Hansa Treuhand at a price of $7m each. Splash reported earlier this week that CMA CGM had swooped for another pair of Hansa Treuhand boxships too.
Allied Shipbrokers also linked the sale of 2008-built panamax boxship ALS Fauna with fast growing Chinese domestic box shipping operator Ansheng Shipping. The 4,275 teu vessel cost Ansheng $13.8m.
The latest acquisition increases Ansheng’s fleet to 100 vessels. The Chinese boxship operator now ranks 19th on Alphaliner’s global liner ranking, operating a fleet of 99 vessels with a total capacity of 104,694 teu, marking it out as one of the fastest growing boxship players in the world this year.
