Norway’s Vega Bulk appears to have snagged a handysize as the secondhand market remains firm.
Market sources said the Oslo-based owner bought the 39,000-dwt Western Panama (built 2015) for $18.5m from bulker, chemical tanker and general cargo ship giant Nisshin Shipping.
Vega Bulk did not return a request for comment.
The company lists five ships in its fleet, including four other handysize bulkers and one supramax.
The reported sale price is a tick above VesselsValue’s $18.2m estimate.
It is one of a flurry of handysize sales this month and the second from Nisshin, according to VesselsValue.
It said the Himeji-based outfit also sold the 39,300-dwt Western London (built 2015) to an unidentified buyer for $18.5m.
The richest prices were for the 39,900-dwt Lintan and 39,700-dwt Liangchow (both built 2015), which fetched $20.5m each from JP Morgan.
According to the Baltic Exchange, asset values continued their rise across the industry, albeit modestly, with its dry sale-and-purchase index rising 26 points to 3,624.
The assessed price for a five-year-old handysize rose just under 0.2% to $27m, while a 10-year-old handysize was estimated to fetch $20m, up 0.13%.
The two handysize sales were the second block of deals Nisshin has been involved in this year and the second with a Norwegian player.
In February, London’s Ashley Group Holdings acquired the term deals on four bulkers — three panamaxes and an ultramax — from Oslo-based Vincent Shipping.
According to Clarksons, Nisshin owns 127 vessels, of which more than 45 are bulkers.
It also has 11 bulkers on order out of 24 vessels in total.
