Newbuilding Activity Settles Down

Newbuilding ordering activity was on the downside this past week. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Allied Shipbroking said that “the quietest week so far in September for new order contracting, with just 16 firm orders rumored this week – just over half of last week’s number. In the dry bulk sector, Meadway Shipping have returned to Oshima for a Handysize with the same specification as their June order. The yard is now thought to have filled its slots until 2027. Also in the bulker sector, Grieg Maritime have declared two options for 82k dwt pulp-specialized MPP vessels and CMB two options for Qingdao Beihai built Newcastlemaxes. Fresh contracting in the tanker sector was a little lower than last week, but above the level of bulker contracting. Union Maritime has placed 2 orders for LR2 tankers at SWS, bringing their contracting to at least 14 vessels in total this year, all from Chinese yards. Although the price is unknown, last weeks rumored LR2 order at SWS from ‘Greek buyers’ at c. $65m could offer a starting point from which to estimate the price. The AlgomaFuretank JV ‘FureBear’ intermediate tankers appear to be a nearrepeat of an order they placed almost exactly a year ago”.

In a separate note, shipbroker Banchero Costa added that “after weeks of constant activity, the Newbuilding market takes a break with only few deals reported and also a limited number of options exercised. Starting from dry we recorded an order for large 42,000 dwt Handysize for delivery in 1st half 2026, no price emerged, but as comparison Namura got recently an order for similar 40,000 dwt around $ 33 mln.

The Tanker sector saw a few order for Product Taners. Tsakos Shipping and Energy ordered 2 x 50,000 dwt MR2 at Yangzijiang following the increasing interest and appetite of this country to take business out of the S Korean market. No price nor delivery were reported so far. Ocean Yield ordered 4 x 74,500 dwt LR1 at GSI for delivery end 2026 and mid 2027 to highlight the very busy schedule of the yard specialised in the tanker sector. In the large tanker sector Dalian Shipbuilding got a domestic order for a dual fuel methanol driven VLCC from China Merchant Shipping basis dely Q4 2025”.

Meanwhile, in the S&P market, Allied said that “on the dry bulk side, the market continued on a recovery mode, with the number of fresh deals coming to light remaining fairly robust over the past couple of weeks or so. Combined, the Supramax and Panamax size segments lead recent transactions, while being the only segments where their respective TCE figures trading well above theirs’ past 12 months average levels. On the tanker side, as many interested parties anticipated to some extent, the snp market did not continue on the strong pace of late, with the number of fresh transactions taking place appearing rather limited. Thinking about the current perplexed feelings surrounding spot freight earnings, coupled with the strong asset price levels, buying appetite will remain volatile in the near term”.

Banchero Costa added that “in the dry market, the modern TESS82 GENEVA STAR 82,000 dwt 2015 Tsuneishi Cebu was rumoured sold to Chinese buyers at $26.9 mln; as a matter of comparison the one year younger sistership RIKKE (Tsuneishi Zhoushan built), was sold back in June by Kambara Kisen to Greek owner Hellenic Star around $27 mln. In the Supramax segment, the Crown58 design HANSEATIC EAGLE 58,000 dwt 2010 Yangzhou Dayang was reported sold at $12.2mln, while the japanese built WAVE RUNNER 56,000 dwt 2008 IHI was sold to Turkish Buyers at $12.8 mln; back in the second half of august, the WINDSOR ADVENTURE 56,000 dwt 2008 Mitsui was sold to Far Eastern buyers around $13.6 mln. The TESS52 OCEAN REEF 52,000 2005 Tsuneishi was reported sold at $8.6 mln. On Handies, the GLOBAL EFFORT 37,000 dwt 2014 Onomichi was rumoured sold to Greek buyers in the mid/high $16 mln.

An active week in the tanker market. It turns out that the sale of ANAVATOS II, reported last week, was actually an en bloc deal with sistership FULMAR 116,000 dwt 2009 Hanjin (BWTS and scrubber fitted). The two ships, purchased by Union Maritime in 2019 for around $21 mln each, have now been sold at $39.5 mln to Middle Eastern buyers. CENTENNIAL SAPPORO 110,000 dwt 2008 Mitsui (BWTS fitted) was reported sold to Turkish Buyers around $35.3 mln, while WONDER VEGA 106,000 dwt 2005 Hyundai was sold to $31.5 mln. In the MR segment, NCC NAJD 46,000 dwt 2005 Hyundai (BWTS fitted, DD Nov 2023) and sistership NCC HIJAZ (BWTS fitted, DD Jan 2024) were sold en bloc to undisclosed Buyers at $17.25 mln. Two J19s sisterships – MH LANGOEY and STRINDA – both built 2006 Fukuoka were sold at $15.5 mln each to undisclosed Buyers”, the shipbroker concluded.

Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide