By L. Karageorgos
Allied Shipbroking this week reported several new orders for bulk carriers, with most of the orders made by Greek shipping companies, and with the total value of new order for the specific type of vessel reaching 418 million USD.
Chartworld placed an order for two 64K dwt bulkers, with an option for another two, at 24 million USD each at China’s Xiangyu shipyards.
Another Greek-controlled shipping company placed a four+four order for 81K dwt bulkers, with a total value of 224 million USD. The order was placed with the Cosco shipyards, while yet another Greek-controlled company ordered two bulkers from the same shipyards – vessels weighing in at 64K dwt and valued at 25 million euros each.
According to the president of Clarkson Research, Martin Stopford, who spoke at the Capital Link Singapore Maritime Forum, in order to benefit from the expansion of the maritime transport sector over the coming years shipping companies will have to reduce 19 percent of the total global fleet – considered as surplus vessels.
He added that the global fleet is increasing at a rate of 4.3 percent on an annual basis, whereas global trade rose by 3.9 percent in 2017 and is forecast to increase by 3.4 in 2018.
