Traditionally, August tends to be a month of slow activity in the sale and purchasing market and this year has been no exception. However, as shipbroker Intermodal noted in a recent report, the month of August, while it is the quietest month of terms of ship transactions, it’s also a time very critical for the forthcoming quarter, as this is typically, a period during which the market seeks signs for the direction of asset prices. As things stand at the moment, the future prospects of the sale and purchasing (snp) market, is currently tangled between uncertainty in both global economic conditions and geopolitics, which affect market psychology and actual trade at the same time.
According to Intermodal’s SnP broker, Mr. Konstantinos Kontomichis, “despite the fact that freight rates in the dry sector have been depressingly low during the past months, the decrease in asset prices has not been equally strong. This is because during the past six years sellers have been trained to acknowledge volatility incurred during the smaller shipping circles and to resist in reducing their price ideas, as they wait for the recovery of the freight market in September”, Mr. Kontomichis noted.
He added that “as far as older tonnage is concerned, we experience a correction in values of 90′s blt vessels. However, the firm demolition prices, which in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are still at Usd high 400′s per long ton, block a further correction in asset values since the “scrap age” of a vessel is being approached faster this way”.
Meanwhile, according to the analyst, “on the newbuilding market, a big number of shipyards are sitting on a significant orderbook and currently don’t appear willing to proceed to heavy price discounts. Resale prices are perhaps a bit more elastic than newbuilding ones, and although they have dropped from the high levels reached earlier in 2014, they are still fairly stable compared to rest of the market. A representative recent example is that of a 61,000dwt Imabari Blt 2015, which was sold at usd 31,4 mill. Most notably though, the premium required for prompt deliveries is thinning due to the poor freight market”, Kontomichis mentioned.
He went on to state that “having discussed what is going on the resale and vintage tonnage, which are heavily dependent upon newbuilding and scrap prices, it is interesting to see what is happening to the “middle-aged” tonnage. The post 2000′s blt ships are significantly exposed to the freight market, as newbuilding and scrap prices are not a critical factor in their value. Two notable snp transactions to be mentioned in the handysize market are the recent sale of M/V Atlantic Arrow (Abt 28,000dwt 2005 Blt Japan) which went for Usd 12,1m and that of the M/V Cielo Di Genova (Abt 32,300dwt / 2005 Blt Japan) which was snapped, considerably higher, for Usd 16,5 mill last December. In the more volatile sector of Panamax, prices presented the higher correction. The M/V Ocean Lily (Abt 76,500dwt / 2006 Blt Japan) was sold in March this year at region Usd 25 mill, while the M/V Yusho Spica (Abt 76,000 dwt / 2006 Blt Japan) was sold for around Usd 20 mill 3 months later. The M/V Michele D’Amato (Abt 76.000 / 2005 Blt Japan) and the M/V Lowlands Nello were reported sold last week for USD 17,7mill and 17,2 mill respectively.
The level where the next comparable sale will be fixed, which will probably be the fresh market candidate M/V Golden Kiji (Abt 76,500dwt / 2007 Blt Japan), will be significant in terms of where the market is heading next, so remain seated with your seatbelt fastened as there might be a few more bumps ahead”, he concluded.
