Xiamen Xinrong Ship Management has added a second vessel purchase in recent months， bringing its total to three since August， with its latest deal involving an outfit registered as Taurus Maritime Investments.

The ship has been identified as the Ice II and now renamed Great Yongwei. The panamax-sized bulker， is a sister vessel to the Strength， which the company acquired two months ago and renamed Great Yongzhe. Both vessels were built at Jiangsu Rongsheng in 2008 and 2009， respectively， with the earlier deal registered with Aries Maritime Investments.

Chinese owners have once again led the pack when it comes to secondhand bulker buys in the new year.

“Despite the geopolitical worries and declining charter rates， Chinese are currently on a significant buying spree in view of the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays， keeping the dry S&P market busy，” Lion Shipbrokers noted in its most recent weekly report.