Panamax Market

Panamax Market Remains on Road to Recovery

The panamax market remained on track for a recovery from the recent slump, despite various public holidays, brokers said on Wednesday. Although South Korea, India and several European countries were absent from the grain market on Wednesday, brokers said that the outlook was positive. This was particularly true of the Atlantic panamax trades, where deals continued to be concluded off market at firmer levels, they said. Brokers cited Korea Line's booking of the 1984-built Ethnos for US Gulf delivery and Far Eastern redelivery, which bettered last-done levels. The fixture was done at $6,700 per day, up $400 daily from early week indications. But other London brokers played down the gains. "Panamax rates dropped so suddenly that there's a chance that this is just a reaction to the falls rather than an actual recovery," one said. Another doubted that the current lackluster demand would be enough to kick start the panamax recovery. Those brokers were also reluctant to be positive on the state of the Pacific panamax trades but they conceded that the dramatic slide in earnings had at least been arrested. "Nothing's happening on the rates side, but at least the market has stopped falling," one said.

Atlantic Panamax Rates Weaken

The buoyancy detected in the Atlantic Panamax market over the past two weeks has waned, brokers said. Fresh orders from the U.S. Gulf were described as light and the limited opportunities in the area could prompt Panamax owners to accept softer levels, they said. Restricted barge movement along the Mississippi was also said to be contributing to the situation, while a number of Far East participants had yet to return to business after the Lunar New Year holiday

Panamax Rates Slip Slightly

Panamax freight rate ideas for the immediate future have slipped back slightly, shipbrokers said. Overall, Panamax freight rates in the Atlantic are seen as softer, while the Pacific market is deemed relatively steady. However, shipbrokers are eager to see some sign this week that the Panamax market will stabilize. The start of the week saw a three to five month period charter fixed at $11,000 daily for the 1990 built 68,789 dwt Antwerpia, but the latest booking, for the 1989 built 69

Increased Panamax Rates Boost Market Sentiment

Higher panamax freight rates have boosted sentiment in the market amid hopes for further rates increases during the week, shipbrokers said on Monday. They gave as prime example the latest U.S. Gulf to Japan fixture at a rate of $23.25 per ton of heavy grain for mid-July loading dates, this compared with the present Baltic Panamax Index showing an average $22.86 per ton. Firmer fixtures had been also reported for both the Pacific and the Atlantic, brokers said.

Atlantic Panamax Earnings Plummet To New Lows

Average Atlantic panamax earnings sank to new lows on Monday, quashing hopes that the market had bottomed out, brokers said. "We've given up predicting when the market will stop falling," one Norwegian broker said. "It's not so much of a summer slowdown, (it is) more of a summer shutdown," he added. Brokers said that charterers' offered levels for transatlantic panamax round voyages had now fallen through the $7,000-a-day barrier.

S&P Lowers Pegasus Rating

Standard & Poor's lowered its corporate credit rating on Pegasus Shipping (Hellas) Ltd. (Pegasus) to triple-'C'-minus from single-'B'-minus. At the same time, Standard & Poor's lowered its foreign currency senior secured debt rating to triple-'C'-minus from single-'B'-minus. All ratings are placed on CreditWatch with negative implications. The rating actions reflect Pegasus' rapidly diminishing financial flexibility owing to weak market conditions

Diana Shipping Time Charter Contracts

Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE:DSX), a global shipping company specializing in the transportation of dry bulk cargoes, announced that it has entered into a time charter contract with Louis Dreyfus Commodities Suisse S.A., for one of its Panamax dry bulk carriers, the m/v Nirefs, at a gross charter rate of $21,000 per day for a period of about 23 to about 25 months. The charter is expected to commence in the middle of February 2010.

TEN Takes Delivery of Latest Newbuilding

Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited (TEN) has taken delivery of the latest vessel in its newbuilding program from Imabari Shipyards in Japan. The Panamax Inca was delivered on March 20, and immediately entered into an accretive repositioning voyage with a major Far Eastern concern at $25,000 per day. The Inca is the second of four new fully coated panamaxes, and joins its sister ship, the Maya, which was received on January 24, 2003

Euroseas to Purchase Drybulk Carrier

Euroseas Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESEA) signed a memorandum of agreement to purchase a Panamax drybulk carrier of 74,020 dwt, built in 2000 in Japan, for approximately $27.5 million. The vessel comes with a time charter back to the seller until January 2010 at a gross daily rate of $25,200 per day and is expected to be delivered to the Company between July 1, 2009 and August 5, 2009. Following the delivery of the vessel, approximately 74% of Euroseas' total fleet days remaining in 2009 and approximately

U.S. Ports & Inland Waterways Modernization

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases the 'U.S. Port and Inland Waterways Modernization: Preparing for Post-Panamax Vessels' report The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has submitted to Congress the "U.S. Port and Inland Waterways Modernization: Preparing for Post-Panamax Vessels" report, an examination of options for future modernization of U.S. ports and inland waterways. The report may be accessed here.