By L. Karageorgos
lkar@naftemporikigr
Greek shipowners and shipping interests allocated more than 10 billion USD over the Jan-Oct. 2018 period for new vessel orders and second-hand ships, according to figures released this week by the Piraeus-based ship-broking firm Golden Destiny.
Compared to 2017's figures, Greek shipping companies in 2018 posted a shift towards tankers and LNG carriers, in terms of new orders.
A growing demand for LNG carriers and brighter future prospects apparently piqued Greek shipowners' interest in this otherwise high-priced type of commercial vessel.
Specifically, Golden Destiny said Greek shipping interests allocated 6.07 billion USD in the first 10 months of the year for new orders, with the total global outlay calculated at more than 30 billion USD. Additionally, a significant number of announced contracts were not accompanied by a monetary value.
Greek shipping interests placed orders for 121 new vessels, up by 32 percent from the corresponding period of 2017 (92 vessels), whereas Chinese companies and shipowners placed orders for 203 vessels, up by a whopping 83 percent, yoy.
Greek-controlled companies placed 54 orders for new tankers (46 a year before) and 27 LNG carriers, when over the Jan-Oct 2017 period no order for such a vessel had been placed. Conversely, new orders for bulkers reached only 29 so far in 2018, down from 41 last year.
Meanwhile, according to Allied Shipbroking, Greek interests again led the pack in terms of transactions of second-hand vessels, with 252 ships changing hands - an investment reaching 3.87 billion USD for 153 bulkers, 64 tankers, 25 container ships and five LNG carriers.
