On the sidelines of the Shipping 2015 conference in Connecticut a number of notable owners admitted that this is the case but only a few were willing to elaborate "on the record".
Ole Hjertaker and several low-profile peers pointed out that capacity at many top tier shipyards in China, South Korea and Japan is spoken for through the better part of 2016.
“Beyond 2017 is a very different story,” he continued. “What are these yards going to build after that? I’m curious, and think this is an important question to ask.”
Hjertaker acknowledged that he “wouldn’t be surprised” to see more tanker orders materialise but hopes containership contracts soak up Asian shipbuilding capacity as well.
Ole Hjertaker is the chief executive of Ship Finance International, which oversees dozens of tankers, bulkers, boxships, drilling rigs and other types of tonnage.
During a panel at the conference, which is hosted by the Connecticut Maritime Association, he argued that diversity is the key to success in the shipping industry.
“If you focus on one segment of the market, you can really get dragged down in a downturn,” Hjertaker told attendees.
