Belgian shipowner Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) and partner Oak Maritime are poised to sell a capesize bulker.
Benoit Timmermans, managing director of CMB bulker subsidiary Bocimar, confirmed that the 177,000-dwt Mineral Oak (built 2010) is up for sale. The ship is owned 50:50 with Canada’s Oak Maritime.
Timmermans described the sale effort as a “joint initiative with our partner”.
Inspectable in China
The Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding-constructed vessel is inspectable at Jintang, northern China.
It is estimated to be worth $25.6m or $31.1m, according to VesselsValue and Maritime Strategies International, respectively.
Bocimar and Oak Maritime have owned the Mineral Oak since it was a newbuilding, according to Equasis.
A sale would fetch a fraction of the $116m that was reportedly paid when it was ordered.
Bocimar has been active in the sale-and-purchase market.
In March, it sold the 93,000-dwt bulker Nadine Venture (built 2011) for $17.5m to Profy Shipping of Ukraine.
Bulker swap
In May, it struck a deal with Germany’s Oskar Wehr to swap 12 handysizes, with the Belgian owner getting five capesize bulkers in return.
Last week, TradeWinds reported that Bocimar is set to acquire two 206,000-dwt bulkers that are under construction at Qingdao Yangfan Shipbuilding, paying more than $50m for each ship.
Bocimar is also reported to have signed a letter of intent for up to four 262,000-dwt ore carriers at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry, although Timmermans has denied the reports.
