Orders for new bulk carriers from Greek shipowners have risen significantly in October.
This was preceded by a nine-month period when no new orders for cargo ships were recorded from Greek shipowners for the first time in decades.
Since mid-October, however, Greek and foreign shipping agencies report that five Greek-owned companies have signed orders for 13 bulk carriers. All at the Hengli Shipbuilding shipyards in China.
The first move in chronological order was by Eastern Mediterranean, owned by Thanasis Martinos, who agreed with the Hengli shipyard to order four kamsarmaxes for delivery in 2027 and 2028. The prices of these ships with conventional fuels range around 35 million dollars each.
At the same time, the Chinese shipyards announced the order for a 180,000-ton capesize, which according to shipbrokers’ reports concerns Seanergy, interests of Stamatis Tsantanis, with the cost, also for a ship with conventional fuels, estimated at approximately 74 million dollars.
The same Chinese shipbuilding group announced a few days later that it had secured up to six orders for bulk carriers, of the kamsarmax type, from the shipping company Efnav, which returned to new shipbuilding after a five-year hiatus. “Efnav, with the official signing of the six 82,000 dwt newbuildings, marked the first cooperation between the two companies,” said the Chinese shipyard, which will build the ships.
The latest move was by Capital Maritime, owned by Vangelis Marinakis, who has ordered two capesizes (180,000 tons) from Hengli Shipbuilding. The price of the ships is estimated at approximately 150 million dollars for both, while the company is expected to receive them by the end of 2026. It is noted that the Greek shipping group, which in the last three to four years has placed many orders for dozens of ships of all types, is returning to bulk carrier shipbuilding after about 15 years.
