Japanese Foreign Ship Orders Increase

Japanese shipyards received in October foreign orders for 44 vessels totaling 1,583,880 gt, the Japan Ship Exporters' Association reported. The tonnage jumped 728.4 percent compared to orders received a year earlier. Thirty-five orders were for bulk carriers, seven for freighters and two for oil tankers. The statistics cover orders received by association members for steel vessels of 500 gt or more. In September, foreign ship orders rose 175 percent year on year.