The sizzling capesize market has produced yet another remarkable sale, with Greece’s Goldenport Shipmanagement returning to the scene after several years of absence.
Managers at the Dragnis family-controlled company confirmed the acquisition of the 175,200-dwt Mineral Gent (built 2011). However, they declined to discuss the price.
Sale talk of the ship had been swirling in broker reports since 26 February, with Greek or Chinese interests identified as the buyers, at prices ranging between $26.3m and $26.5m.
The Star Audrey (built 2011), a sister ship built at New Times Shipbuilding and equipped with a scrubber, is said to have changed hands late last month for between $27m and $27.5m.
The Mineral Gent currently flies the Belgian flag, is managed by Bocimar and most brokers identify the Saverys family’s bulker outfit as the seller.
While Equasis lists Japan’s Iyo Nassen as the ship’s registered owner, a sale by Bocimar comes hardly as a surprise.
The deal is just the latest in a long string of bulker disposals by the Saverys company, which is preparing to begin taking delivery of a huge batch of modern newcastlemax newbuildings.
The ships Bocimar sold in recent weeks and months have gone to firms including Singapore’s Winning Shipping, as well as Chinese peers Agricore Shipping and EGPN Bulk Carrier, as TradeWinds has reported.
Seeing Goldenport entering the fray now reflects the capesize enthusiasm spreading among Hellenic shipping circles.
Although the Dragnis family used to manage such large vessels in the past, it has not had any of them in its fleet recently.
Goldenport’s diversified assets include bulkers ranging from handysize to ultramax, as well as some container ships. Other Dragnis firms are active in tankers.
The acquisition of the Mineral Gent is part of a surge in capesize and newcastlemax transactions amid a virtual explosion of bulker sale-and-purchase dealmaking in February.
As TradeWinds reported earlier on Monday, Clarksons estimates that bulkers worth $2.21bn changed hands last month, which is the highest transaction volume in the London-based broker’s records since May 2008.
The surge came as capesize and newcastlemax earnings experienced their best February since 2010, with average earnings at $22,892 per day.
