Japan Ship Exports Up For Month

Ship export contracts concluded by Japanese shipyards in June rose 20.7 percent from a year earlier to 805,440 grt, or 26 vessels. The grt level, however, is down 8.8 percent from June 1998, the Japan Ship Exporters' Association said. The association said orders for June consisted of 12 freighters, 11 bulk carriers and three oil tankers. The statistics cover orders received by association members for steel vessels of 500 GRT or more.