Greece's Erasmus Shipinvest Group has been linked to the purchase of a Japanese-built panamax as it continues an active run in the sale-and-purchase market.
European brokers said the John Su-led company has purchased the 75,000-dwt Santa Rosalia (built 2008) from Sumitomo Group.
The Athens-based shipowner is understood to have paid $10.8m for the Tsuneishi Shipbuilding-constructed vessel. The price is in line with expectations.
The Santa Rosalia is due for dry docking.
Erasmus managers declined to comment on the information, citing confidentiality clauses.
The company has been quietly switching its focus to handysizes over the past couple of years.
But Su, the company's managing director and chief executive, said that this did not exclude the company from picking up other kinds of bulkers.
The company's purchase appetite varies from time to time, according to the specific needs of the commodity traders it uses to do business with, Su said in an email.
Erasmus is known to be serve commodity traders such as Glencore, Vitol, Quadra Commodities and Cargill through fixed time-charter contracts on a long-term basis.
The latest deal comes after a string of handysize transactions.
Earlier in July, Erasmus reportedly purchased the Japanese-built, 34,000-dwt Pegasus Ocean (built 2015), paying MC Shipping of Japan $13.5m.
In May, the company was linked to a purchase of the 35,000-dwt sisterships Swiftnes and Sharpnes (both built 2015) from Norway’s Kristian Jebsens Rederi, reportedly for $26m en bloc.
