Coal news and updates

Dry Bulk Shipping Fleet net expansion was 1.3% during 3rd quarter, but orderbook reduced to 17% of the trading fleet

If the dry bulk market is to rebound on a sustainable level, it needs to limit the tonnage expansion, at least until demand picks up again, as China’s slowdown is curbing freight rates. As such, the high level of demolition activity over the first half of the year, helped rates pick up during the third quarter. According to dry bulk ship owner Pacific Basin, Handysize and Handymax market spot rates averaged US$6,000 and US$8,340 per day net respectively in the third quarter of 2015. While only marginally up compared to the same period last year, these average market rates represent a 23% and 30% improvement on the previous quarter.

According to Pacific Basin’s analysis, “the quarter on quarter improvement was largely driven by healthier conditions in the Atlantic on strong South American agricultural exports. Atlantic spot market rates reached early 2014 levels and have since declined as the South American season subsides. By contrast, the Pacific freight market has been relatively flat, demonstrating only a moderate improvement through July which has since been reversed. Weak demand growth in the Pacific is largely due to the continued slowdown in Chinese coal and iron ore imports which together represent a large proportion of overall dry bulk trade”.

Detailing the demand side of things, the ship owner noted that “year-to-date coal imports are 30% down year on year while iron ore imports have been largely flat. Year-to-date Chinese imports of a basket of seven minor bulks are down 2% year on year due mainly to a weaker start to 2015. Minor bulk trade volumes since March were higher than in the same months in 2014 and have lent some support to demand for Handysize and Handymax ships. In particular, Chinese imports of bauxite increased year on year, and imports of soybeans and cereal grains are substantially up. Chinese steel exports have also increased”.

It continued by noting that “on the vessel supply side, the pace of newbuilding deliveries in 2015 has closely tracked 2014 when we saw the lowest rate of new ship additions in 15 years. The high level of scrapping in the first half of 2015 gave way to reduced scrapping in the third quarter due to the improved freight market. As a result, the overall dry bulk fleet expanded by 1.3% net during the quarter, having previously seen no net growth since the end of January. The overall dry bulk orderbook has reduced to about 17% of the trading fleet, but delays, cancellations, conversions and shipyard defaults – primarily in China – are leading to fewer actual deliveries than scheduled at the start of the year. The ship supply surplus built up in 2010-2012 and slowdown in Chinese raw materials imports – especially coal – continue to drive overall weakness, and we continue to manage the business for a weak market in the medium term”.

Pacific Basin also said that “secondhand values have been substantially flat in recent months. Benchmark five year old 32,000 dwt Handysize bulk carriers are currently valued by Clarksons Platou at US$13.0 million which is unchanged since May. Handysize newbuildings are valued at US$20.5 million and the significant gap between newbuilding and secondhand prices continues to discourage new ship ordering and favours buying secondhand ships”.

It concluded by noting that “this weakness will continue to affect shipping businesses and could result in more companies experiencing financial distress along the lines of Daiichi Chuo Kisen Kaisha’s recent filing for bankruptcy protection”.

In a separate report, BIMCO said that “when traditional demand growth is not increasing, we need to look harder for future growth. Here the glut of high-iron-content ore in the international markets and the following low prices may finally bring around a sizeable substitution in consumption by Chinese steel mills, away from the domestically produced low-iron-content ore, in favour of imports”. Calculations done by BIMCO show that monthly imports into China could be 20mt higher per month (+26%). A total of an extra 240 million tons on an annual basis could bring deployment for around 155 Capesizes, assuming an unchanged distribution between Australian and Brazilian imports (75%/25%). Last year, Australia grew its share significantly as 90% of Chinese incremental demand came from Australia. As Brazilian miner Vale is expecting to grow its output over the next year, this would improve the prospects. Working against would be more Brazilian ore transported on 400,000-DWT Valemax class ships operated by the miner itself or related parties”, BIMCO noted in its report.

As such, it concludes that “for the coming months: September-November, BIMCO expects the supply of new ships to stay subdued and slow paced towards the end of the year. The deteriorating demand-side conditions are expected to be somewhat reversed as we move into the stronger months of the year. The vital commodities, coal and iron ore, are both expected to be in higher demand in coming months, enhancing owners’ and operators’ opportunities to find employment for their ships. Altogether this should support the freight rates although no large-scale improvement to the fundamental balance is likely to develop”.

source: http://coalspot.com