Bulk Vessel News

“During the first two months of 2025, bulker newbuilding contracting dropped 92% y/y to the lowest level in at least 30 years. While contracting in January was low, no new ships were ordered in February. Weak freight rates, high newbuilding prices, long lead times and uncertainty are likely discouraging contracting,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.Dry bulk contracting has been slowing since the second half of 2024. During this period, second hand prices for five-year-old ships fell by 12%, impacted by weakening freight rates, whereas newbuilding prices only dropped 1%.

The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and the NATO military alliance has boosted its presence with frigates, aircraft and naval drones.Several investigations are under way but no suspects have been brought to trial.FEBRUARY 2025: FINLAND-GERMANY TELECOM CABLESwedish and Finnish police said on February 21 they were investigating a suspected case of sabotage of an undersea telecoms cable in the Baltic Sea…

Costamare has reported a net income of $290.7 million as part of its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2024, also noting its plans to renew its owned fleet.Gregory Zikos, Chief Financial Officer of Costamare, said: “In the container ship sector the Red Sea crisis led to diversions via the much longer Cape of Good Hope route. These diversions, together with strong cargo demand, absorbed the incremental new building capacity. The commercially idle fleet remained low during 2024 and at the start of 2025.

Dry bulk shipowner Diana Shipping announced it has entered into a time charter contract with Stone Shipping Ltd, for one of its Ultramax dry bulk vessels, DSI Polaris.The gross charter rate is US$15,400 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum June 1, 2025 up to maximum August 15, 2025. The charter commenced retroactively as of July 20, 2024.The Marshall Islands registered DSI Polaris, a 60,404 dwt Ultramax dry bulk vessel built in 2018…

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.

Three new berths will start operations at Singapore Tuas Port later this year to tackle extended waiting times for ships after Red Sea shipping tensions boosted vessel arrivals, said Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA).The diversion of vessels around the Cape of Good Hope has disrupted arrival schedules at major ports globally and has caused a "vessels bunching" effect for container vessels calling at Singapore this year, MPA said in a statement late Thursday.The new berths will bring the total number of operating berths to 11 at Tuas Port and will help handle the higher container ve

The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index rose for a third straight session on Tuesday to hit a one-month peak, as rates climbed across larger vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, was up 13 points, or 0.8%, at 1,585 points, its highest since Jan. 10.The capesize index also scaled a one-month high. It added 23 points, or 0.9%, at 2,476 points.Average daily earnings for capesize vessels, which typically transport 150…

Ukraine has managed to boost its Black Sea grain exports to a level not seen since before Russia's invasion, although the Red Sea shipping crisis poses a new challenge to its crucial agricultural trade.Kyiv's success in replacing a UN-backed Black Sea export deal with its own shipping scheme has brought relief for Ukrainian farmers and importing countries while representing a naval breakthrough for Ukraine's military as a land counteroffensive has stalled.The export turnaround…

Diana Shipping, a global shipping company specializing in the ownership and bareboat charter-in of dry bulk vessels, has announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has extended the time charter contract with Cobelfret S.A., Luxembourg, for one of its Post-Panamax dry bulk vessels, the Amphitrite.The gross charter rate is $12,250 per day for the first 30 days of the charter period and $15,000 per day for the balance period of the time charter, in each case minus a 5% commission paid to third parties…

Vale, working in partnership with Oldendorff Carriers, has just commenced its first biofuel voyage on a bulk vessel.The trial is taking place on an Oldendorff vessel performing a laden Vale voyage from Brazil to Asia, carrying a full cargo of iron ore.The Hinrich Oldendorff (209,113 deadweight built 2016) loaded the biofuel in Singapore on October 16 on the ballast voyage to Brazil. The vessel then loaded Vale’s iron ore on November 28 at Guaiba Island Terminal and will consume…

Diana Shipping Inc. has announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) for one of its Capesize dry bulk vessels, the New Orleans.The gross charter rate is US$20,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum August 15, 2025 up to maximum October 31, 2025. The charter is expected to commence on December 7, 2023.The New Orleans is a 180,960dwt Capesize…

Dry bulk shipowner Diana Shipping on Monday announced that it has lined up a time charter contract with agribusiness Bunge for one of its Ultramax dry bulk vessels, DSI Andromed—a 60,309 dwt Ultramax dry bulk vessel built in Japan in 2016.The charter, which Diana entered through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, is expected to commence on November 24, 2023.The gross charter rate is $13,500 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum February 20…

Shipowner Costamare has appointed Peter Lund as Chief Commercial Officer. He is expected to take up his position with Costamare in October 2023.Lund is currently Vice President, Head of Chartering of A.P. Moller-Maersk in Copenhagen, and has worked for a total of 24 years in the A.P. Moller group of companies in different geographic locations.Konstantinos Konstantakopoulos, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Costamare, said, “We are very pleased to welcome back Mr. Lund as the new Chief Commercial Officer of our company. His broad international shipping background and detailed knowledge of several of our target segments will be…

Greek shipping company United Maritime Corporation announced it has entered into an agreement with an unaffiliated third party for the sale of its remaining LR2 tanker vessel, the 2008-built Epanastasea. The vessel is scheduled to be delivered to its new owner by mid-August 2023. The vessel’s gross sale price is $37.5 million, and the transaction is subject to customary closing procedures.In addition, the company said it has entered into an agreement to acquire a Panamax dry bulk vessel built in 2011 in Japan, with a cargo carrying capacity of 76,361 dwt and will be renamed Exelixsea.

Viridis Bulk Carriers has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from the classification society DNV for its ammonia fuelled short sea bulk carrier design. The certificate was presented during the Nor-Shipping trade fair at the DNV stand.An Approval in Principle (AiP) is an independent assessment of a concept within an agreed framework, confirming that the design is feasible, and no significant obstacles exist to prevent the concept from being realized.As the maritime industry is looking to bend the carbon curve towards zero…

A Joint Development Project (JDP) to evaluate the feasibility of converting a bulk vessel to methanol fuel propulsion was signed by Berge Bulk CEO James Marshall and ABS Vice President of Global Sustainability Panos Koutsourakis.Per the agreement, the team will examine the possibility of retrofitting the 300-m, 210,000-dwt heavy fuel oil propelled bulk carrier Berge Mauna Kea to operate on methanol fuel. The six-month study is already underway.“Retrofitting alternative fuel capability to the global fleet is going to be critical if we are to achieve our sustainability goals.

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose to its highest level since early January on Thursday, supported by stronger rates across all vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, rose 46 points, or about 4.2%, to 1,145, its highest since Jan.

Cargill, one of the world's biggest ship charterers, is stepping up a push to resurrect wind power for cargo ships as the agricultural commodities group moves to cut emissions from its chartered fleet, a top executive said.With about 90% of world trade transported by sea, shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world's CO2 emissions, yet environmental campaigners say regulatory efforts by the sector to cut emissions are still slow.Cargill will test a dry bulk vessel with two wind sails carrying cargo onboard later this year…

Bulk carrier firm Diana Shipping said Wednesday it had has taken delivery of the 2016-built DSI Aquarius ultramax dry bulk vessel of 60,309 dwt. The ship, which used to be called STH Kure, is one of nine new Ultramax dry bulk vessels that the company had agreed to buy in August 2022. Diana Shipping also said that it had entered into a time charter contract for the vessel with Engelhart CTP Freight (Switzerland) SA, at a gross charter rate of US$14,200 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum January 10, 2024 up to maximum March 25, 2024. The charter is expected to start on February 1, 2023. The employment of “DSI Aquarius” is anticipated to generate approximately US$4.81 million in gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter…

At least two vessels carrying Australian coal have arrived in China for the first time since an unofficial ban on imports was introduced more than two years ago, and several more are on the way, shiptracking data showed. The cargoes are being closely monitored by coal traders as they are keen to see how smooth Chinese customs procedures will be.China last month, in a partial easing of the import ban, granted permission to just four central-government owned firms to bring in Australian coal. Tiger East, a dry bulk vessel loading some 73,300 tonnes of Australian thermal coal from Queensland, is discharging at the southern Chinese city of Taishan…

China is set to receive at least two cargoes of Australian coal in early February, according to traders and shiptracking data, the first since an unofficial ban on imports in place since 2020 was lifted earlier this month.Coal traders will be paying attention to how easily the shipments pass customs for signs that the informal ban is truly over and in the hopes of sending more Australian coal to China.Australian thermal coal for power generation and metallurgical coal for steelmaking are favoured by Chinese consumers for their high-quality. China's coal demand is forecast to rise in the upcoming months amid an expected economic rebound after Beijing rolled back its draconian zero-COVID strategy.

Dry bulk shipowner Diana Shipping on Tuesday announced new charter contracts for two of its vessels, the Polymnia and Los Angeles.Diana said it has extended the time charter contract with CLdN Cobelfret SA for the Polymnia, a  98,704 dwt Post-Panamax dry bulk vessel built in 2012.The gross charter rate is $10,000 per day for the first 30 days of the charter period and $15,000 per day for the balance period of the time charter, in each case minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum April 1, 2024 up to maximum May 31, 2024. The new charter period commenced on January 14, 2023.The company also announced that it has entered into a time charter contract with Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha for the Los Angeles…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index posted its second-biggest jump ever on Thursday, as rates for all vessel segments rebounded from their multi-year lows, led by capesizes.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, was up 142 points, or about 21.1%, at 816, an over one-month high.The index, extending gains to a fifth session, recorded its biggest jump since mid-June 2020, according to Refinitiv data going back till 1985.The capesize index gained 183 points…