Japanese owner Tagashira Kaiun has sold a Japan-built ultramax bulker that has been operated to date by Ultrabulk.
As TradeWinds has reported, Japanese owners have been selling off ultramax tonnage and buyers have been keen to snap up quality Japanese-built units at a time when period rates are trending up.
The 61,683-dwt Ultra Rocanville (built 2012) was reported by brokers to have sold for just over $23m to unnamed European buyers.
The vessel, which was built at Oshima Shipbuilding to the yard’s OS-Max 60K Mk I design, has a ballast water treatment system fitted.
Ultrabulk chief executive Hans-Christian Olesen confirmed that the vessel will leave the company’s fleet when contacted by TradeWinds, but declined to comment further.
VesselsValue estimates the ship’s current market value at $21.86m, while Maritime Strategies International puts it between $20.6m and $24.7m.
Estimated one-year period rates have pushed to their highest levels in almost two years.
Estimated 12-month period rates for supramax and ultramax vessels last week broke through the $16,000 barrier, having trended upwards for the past eight months.
Clarksons on Friday estimated one-year period rates for supramax bulk carriers at $16,750 per day, its highest weekly estimate since August 2022.
The Baltic Exchange’s forward curve for 58,000-dwt supramaxes indicates rates of just over $15,000 per day for this quarter and the next, falling to $14,329 per day in the final three months.
Clarksons’ estimates for three-year period rates have remained static since February at $12,750 per day.
Meanwhile, spot rates for 63,000-dwt ultramaxes are at their highest level since early December.
The average spot rate, weighted across 11 key benchmarks, was assessed more than $100 higher on Friday at $18,476 per day.
