Bulk Carriers News

Ukraine seized a foreign cargo ship in the Black Sea off its Odesa region and detained the captain on suspicion of helping Moscow export Ukrainian grain from Russian-occupied Crimea, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Thursday.The vessel, which it did not identify, was travelling under the flag of a central African country and repeatedly docked at the Crimean sea port of Sevastopol to pick up "looted" agricultural products in 2023-24, the SBU said.Russian forces occupied…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has completed the construction of bulk carrier Green Winds, equipped with the Wind Challenger hard sail wind power propulsion system.The construction of the 63,896 DWT Ultramax bulk carrier was completed at Oshima Shipbuilding.MOL Group’s company MOL Drybulk will operate this new vessel.This is the second of a total of nine MOL Group vessels that have been or will be equipped with the Wind Challenger and the world's first crane vessel featuring that propulsion…

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes increased in June while Lakes shipments of iron ore slid, according to recent data from industry trade group the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).LimestoneShipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.3 million tons in June, an increase of 6% from a year ago. This June’s loadings were below the month’s 5-year average by 7.7%.Loadings out of U.S. quarries totaled 2.6 million tons, an increase of 2.4% compared to last year. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 738…

Cargo shipments at Ukraine's Black Sea and Danube ports were 68% higher in January to June than in the same period of last year, a senior lawmaker said on Thursday.Six functioning ports processed 52.7 million tons of cargo compared with 31.3 million tons last year, Danylo Hetmantsev, head of the parliamentary finance committee, said on the Telegram messenger.More than 63% of total shipments constitute agricultural products, he said.In the first half of 2023, shipments were carried…

A crewmember reported missing from a Panamanian registered bulk carrier has been found safe on board following a dayslong search effort that involved multiple international agencies and commercial vessels.On June 25, the master of the 568-foot-long vessel Daiwan Glory issued a distress alert relayed via the Japanese Coast Guard early in the morning of June 25, 2024, reporting of a possible man overboard situation approximately 607 nautical miles south of Guam, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said.

Canadian shipping company CSL announced it has signed a 21-year strategic partnership with BCI Minerals Limited to build and operate an innovative transhipment vessel to support the Mardie Salt and Potash Project.The custom-designed 16,000 dwt shallow draft transhipper will handle 5.35 million tonnes of salt and 140,000 tonnes of sulfate of potash per year. Loading will take place at BCI’s jetty loadout facility in Cape Preston, Western Australia, with the vessel navigating 12…

Singapore headquartered dry bulk shipping company Centurion Bulk announce it has acquired Danish handysize operator Integrity Bulk.The takeover will be effective from July 31, 2024, subject to the finalization of the transaction, Centurion Bulk said.Centurion Bulk charters and operates more than 80 vessels worldwide, spanning the handysize to ultramax markets.The Integrity Bulk website currently lists a fleet of 12 vessels built from 2012 through this year, ranging from 28,227 dwt to 39,970 dwt.

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, hit its highest level in nearly two months on Monday as capesize vessels gained on robust demand.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, rose 108 points, or 5.3%, to 2,158, its highest mark since May 9.The capesize index was up 348 points, or 10.1%, to 3,791, its highest level since March 19.Average daily earnings for capesize vessels, which typically transport 150,000-ton cargoes, such as iron ore and coal, were up $2,881 at $31,438.I

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, rose on Friday to mark a monthly gain on the back of higher rates in capesize vessels.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, gained 19 points, or 0.9%, to 2,050. The index rose 12.9% in June.The capesize index climbed 72 points, or 2.1%, to 3,443, marking its highest level since May 9. The index recorded a monthly gain of 22.1%.Average daily earnings for capesize vessels…

INTERCARGO-registered dry bulk ships continue to outperform the industry average in both deficiencies and detentions, as highlighted in the latest INTERCARGO benchmarking report on bulk carriers.The Benchmarking Bulk Carriers 2023-2024 report details detention rates and deficiencies per inspection across flag states, port state control, class and P&I clubs.In 2023, detention rates decreased for the dry bulk fleet globally, whilst deficiencies per inspection saw a slight increase across the industry.

Western Bulk announced Joachim Frantsen has been appointed as the new Head of our North Atlantic desk effective September 1st, succeeding Torbjorn Gjervik who has been promoted to Group CEO.Frantsen has more than 20 years’ experience from chartering and dry bulk and has previously been Head of our Black Sea and Mediterranean/Steel team. He joined Western Bulk as a chartering manager in January 2017, coming from the Torvald Klaveness Group as a Senior Chartering Manager.“I´m pleased that we have so much internal talent willing to take on exciting opportunities as we are growing our company.

Norwegian dry bulk shipowner Belships announced further expansion of its Ultramax fleet through a pair of vessel acquisitions and newbuild orders.The company said on Wednesday it has declared an option to purchase the bulk carrier Belmar for $25.5 million. The vessel, which has been leased since its delivery as a newbuilding in 2021, will be taken over in Q4 2024. Belships said it will finance the acquisition using its available cash.In addition, Belships has agreed to pay $41 million to acquire a Japanese-built Ultramax of 64…

Speaking at this year’s Drycon conference in Mumbai, Captain Pappu Sastry, CEO of Adhira Shipping and Logistics (ASL), said that Africa’s mining sector is entering a golden age where opportunities are open to investors, shipping lines and logistics companies.Africa is a continent of more than 1.4 billion people, with a mining sector that is growing rapidly and investment opportunities across the continent, said Sastry. “We are experiencing a rapid expansion in the development of junior mines in Africa along with increased demand for commodities from existing mines.

Yemen's Houthi militants are believed to have sunk a second ship, the Tutor, in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday.The Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier was struck by missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat on June 12 and had been taking on water, according to previous reports from UKMTO, the Houthis and other sources."Military authorities report maritime debris and oil sighted in the (Tutor's) last reported location," UKMTO said in a security update.The Tutor's manager could not immediately be reached for comment.One crew member…

Oslo-headquartered dry bulk shipping company Western Bulk announced it has named Torbjorn Gjervik as its new CEO, effective September 1, 2024.Gjervik will assume the position from Ørjan Svanevik, who has served as interim CEO following the departure of Hans Aasnæs earlier this year. Svanevik will maintain his role as a company board member.Gjervik comes from the position as Head of North Atlantic and has served in several management positions across the Western Bulk global network and offices…

Annual casualty figures from INTERCARGO, the International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners, highlight continuing improvement in the safety performance of the sector.The Association’s Bulk Carrier Casualty Report records the yearly loss of vessels and lives across the dry bulk sector, with the intention of monitoring the impact of safety measures in the sector across the globe.The bulk carrier fleet has grown significantly in recent years to cater for the world’s growing economy.

A Greek-owned cargo ship was struck by a small craft off Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeidah sustaining damage in its engine room, maritime security firms and shipping sources said on Wednesday.The vessel, Tutor, was hit approximately 67.7 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's port of Hodeidah, said British security firm Ambrey, and the incident bore the hallmarks of an attack by Yemen's Houthi militia."The vessel aligned with the Houthi target profile at the time of the incident," Ambrey said in an advisory note.United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a small…

A 72-year-old Great Lakes freighter has anchored safely in Thunder Bay, Ontario following a flooding incident in Lake Superior.At around 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, the Canadian-registered Michipicoten reportedly struck an underwater object and began taking on water in U.S. waters about 35 miles south of Isle Royale, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The ship, which is owned and operated by Canadian-based Lower Lakes Towing, was hauling taconite from the U.S. to Canada at the time of the incident.The flooding caused the 689-foot self-discharging bulk carrier to list to 15 degrees…

A Panamanian registered bulk carrier came to the aid of a sailboat that was stranded in heavy seas 250 nautical miles off the U.S. East Coast.On April 24, 2024, the crew of CSL's self-unloader Sheila Ann received a mayday call from a sailboat stranded 16 nautical miles away in rough seas and strong winds. The ship's master and crew relayed the distress call to the U.S. Coast Guard, which said it could not immediately assist due to the adverse weather conditions and long distance from land.When Sheila Ann arrived on scene…

Danish shipowner Norden says it is focused on expanding its fleet of Capesize bulk carriers. During the first two months of Q2 2024, the company added two new modern Capesize vessels (2021) to its owned fleet, while at the same time capitalizing on the current strong market conditions by divesting an old Capesize vessel (2011).In addition, one MR tanker was chartered in.Henrik Lykkegaard Madsen, Norden's Head of Asset Management, said, “These transactions are part of optimizing our Capesize fleet with modern vessels in line with our climate strategy…

Australia has banned a Cypriot-flagged bulk carrier from entering its ports after inspectors found the vessel to be unseaworthy.The vessel, Peace, is operated by Danaos Shipping, a company which also operates the containership Suez Canal, which was the subject of a prolonged detention by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) in January 2024.AMSA Acting Executive Director Operations Greg Witherall said Danaos Shipping’s failures with the Suez Canal gave the authority…

Capacity reduction on the Panama Canal have hurt dry bulk market, with dry bulk carrier transits down significantly (down 74% in the Q1 '24 vs. '23, with sailing distances up 31% and cargo volume down 25% year on year, according to BIMCO shipping analyst Filipe Gouveia.Low water levels in lake Gatun have caused restrictions in the number of transits through the Panama Canal at a maximum draft level of 13.4m (44 ft). Under typical conditions, between 34 and 38 ships transit the canal per day at draught levels of 15.2m (50 feet). At the start of the year, only 22 daily transits were allowed.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and its company MOL Drybulk have announced plans to install wind propulsion systems, including Wind Challenger, on a total of seven newbuilding bulk carriers and multi-purpose vessels.The vessels will be operated by MOL Drybulk. With the latest commitment, MOL Group will have a total of nine Wind Challenger-equipped vessels, bringing the total number of vessels equipped with wind propulsion systems to 11.Among the seven vessels to be equipped with wind propulsion systems…