US-listed Safe Bulkers announced the purchase of a nine-year-old dry bulk vessel, which represents its first capesize acquisition since 2018.
The move came just a few days after the Greek shipowner announced that it would switch its fleet renewal strategy away from newbuildings to secondhand ships.
The Polys Hajioannou-led company said in a statement on Monday it has agreed to bareboat charter a 181,000-dwt bulker built in 2012 in Japan.
Safe Bulkers will pay $4.5m on signing and another $4.5m on delivery of the vessel in the final quarter of the year.
The company will then start paying $14,500 per day to charter the ship for the following 12 months. At the end of that period, Hajioannou will have the option to buy the vessel for a further $18m. If the deal is consumated at the time, the ship would henceforth trade as Stelios Y.
The last time Safe Bulkers bought a capesize was almost exactly three years ago. At that time, the company opted also for a nine-year-old, Japanese-built capesize — the 181,400-dwt Five Stars Fujian (built 2009). It was renamed Mount Troodos.
Safe Bulkers’ latest move is part of a well-communicated strategy to gradually renew about a quarter of its fleet of 40 ships by 2024.
As part of that strategy, the company has already ordered eight post-panamax and kamsarmax newbuildings in Japan since late last year.
On 29 July, Hajioannou said he would henceforth focus more on secondhand acquisitions and that he already had a couple of such deals in the pipeline.
Including its latest capesize purchase, Safe Bulkers agreed to buy four ships on the secondhand market this year. On the other hand, the company disposed of six older vessels over the same period.
