John Fredriksen's private interests have taken an opportunistic move in the sale-and-purchase sector by disposing of a Chinese-built panamax bulker at a profit.
Sources said the 76,000-dwt Sea Rising (built 2012), which is controlled by Fredriksen's privately held Seatankers Management, was sold to a Chinese buyer for $14m. The Norwegian seller confirmed the sale of the Yangfang Group-built vessel.
The company claimed it has fetched a good price for the Chinese-built ship, and that Fredriksen has locked in an “OK profit” over book value.
The group reportedly bought the ship for $15.5m from Qingdao Luyang in July 2015, when it was the Luyang Rising.
Publicly owned
The shipowner controls one of the biggest publicly owned fleets through New York and London-listed Golden Ocean Group.
But Fredriksen additionally has around 40 bulkers owned privately and managed by Seatankers.
The private fleet also includes six newcastlemaxes at New Times Shipyard and four at Bohai Shipbuilding Industry for delivery in 2019 or 2020.
These newbuildings, which are scrubber-fitted, were ordered for just some $44.5m each. There is a good possibility for asset-play deals on these vessel, as brokers consider them to be worth some $57m to 58m each.
Buying interest
Seatankers confirmed there is buying interest for the octet.
“We will just see what we shall do with them,” a director said.
Seatankers also confirmed that two of the newbuildings are now chartered.
The 208,000-dwt Golden Coral and Golden Champion (both built 2019), which are under construction at New Times, are understood to have been fixed for one year each. Charterer IFCOR is said to have taken one of the vessels at $26,000 per day.
