Belships' fleet expansion is continuing apace with the acquisition of two supramax bulkers in the secondhand market.
The Oslo-listed shipowner has also taken delivery of an ultramax newbuilding from a shipyard in Japan and fixed it on a short-term charter.
Belships said the 58,000-dwt supramaxes are costing $28m per ship.
Brokers have reported the pair as the Japanese-constructed, 57,679-dwt Stove Tide and Stove Friend (both built 2016), sold by Stove Rederi of Norway. The owner will be left with one remaining bulker following the sale.
Belships, which specialises in supramax and ultramax bulkers, said it will take delivery of the acquisitions at the end of November but did not name the ships.
Chief executive Lars Christian Skarsgard said the transaction demonstrated Belships' capabilities for putting deals together.
"The vessel acquisitions add to the company's increasingly compelling earnings prospects and display Belships' ability to source accretive transactions with short lead time and efficient use of capital," he said in a statement on Monday.
Belships intends to use bank financing for up to 60% of the purchase price for the secondhand vessels, which will have a cash break-even of $9,000 per day including operational expenses.
After the pair are delivered, Belships' fleet will comprise 29 supramax and ultramax bulkers, with an average age of four years and average cash break-even of about $10,500 per day.
New charter
Meanwhile, Belships has taken delivery of the 63,500-dwt geared ultramax Belmar from Imabari Shipbuilding in Japan.
The vessel has been chartered out to an unnamed counterparty for five to seven months at a gross rate of $41,000 per day, Belships said.
The last ultramax reported fixed on a period charter of the same duration was contracted at $42,000 per day. An unnamed charterer booked Blue Seas Shipping's 63,339-dwt Florentia (built 2016) on 23 September, according to fixtures data.
Elderly vessel
Meanwhile, Belships is circulating its oldest vessel for sale, the 58,000-dwt bulker Belstar (built 2009).
Skarsgard confirmed the sale when contacted by TradeWinds.
Belships has acquired 19 bulkers and sold six of its oldest ships over the past couple of years, leveraging Skarsgard's experience as a sale-and-purchase broker.
