Hong Kong-based Taylor Maritime has offloaded a handysize bulker that has emerged in the fleet of two long-term partners.
Greece’s Hellas Confidence and Orient Shipping Rotterdam of the Netherlands have both added the 37,700-dwt HB Golden Eagle (built 2020) to their managed fleets under its new name, Amber Confidence.
Orient Shipping, which is also referred to as OCR Rotterdam, said that it took over the open-hatch, box-shaped bulker on 10 September.
“This exciting milestone represents another step forward in our journey of growth and unwavering commitment to operational excellence,” the company said.
Brokers in the US and Greece have reported that Taylor Maritime has sold the HB Golden Eagle for $28.5m.
None of the companies involved could be immediately reached for this story.
The bulker, which was constructed at Imabari Shipbuilding Group’s Shimanami Shipyard in Japan, is due for a special survey in January, a factor that may have had an impact on the sale price.
The reported price tag is in line with a VesselsValue estimate that puts its worth at $28.3m in an open-market transaction.
Another valuation platform, Maritime Strategies International’s MSI Horizon service, estimates that the HB Golden Eagle is worth $29.5m.
Both values are reflective of secondhand bulker prices that are mostly holding onto gains made earlier in the year.
At this time in 2023, the HB Golden Eagle was worth just $25m to $26.3m, according to the two firms’ separate estimates.
But it is not clear exactly when the vessel was sold, as some databases indicate that it may have been sold as early as July.
S&P Global’s shipping database shows the ship is under the commercial management of Orient Shipping.
Hellas Confidence is listed as the HB Golden Eagle’s technical manager.
The two companies have a long-running partnership and both list the same 12 bulkers on their fleet list.
S&P Global data shows that Amber Confidence Shipping is the registered owner of their newest bulker, while New Bulk Carriers, which shares an address with Orient Shipping, is its bareboat charterer.
The Dutch company said Tom Shepherd and Julian Robinson, from UK shipbroker Hartland Shipping Services, as well as LP Law helped make the deal possible.
