January Vessel Orders Drop
In figures not seen since January 1991, IHS Maritime and Trade shipbuilding data recorded a fall in vessel orders last month.
According to MANA, there were no orders for bulkers or gas carriers in January 2017, while there were only six tankers over 10,000 dwt and three 2,150 teu container vessels ordered. The container vessels were specialised ice-class vessels earmarked for the Greenland trade.
By contrast, for the corresponding month of last year, 16 tankers, 5 container ships, 4 bulk carriers, and 2 gas carriers had been ordered.
An excess of container ships and bulk carriers has made operators tentative about placing orders for new ships. Tankers and gas carriers are also facing capacity issues in the short to medium term, resulting in a slowdown in vessel orders.
Robert Willmington, IHS Maritime and Trade shipbuilding analyst, told Fairplay, "tThe significant slump in shipbuilding orders comes as little surprise, given the prolonged period of over-tonnaging in many key shipping markets.