Newbuilding deliveries could push global bulk carrier fleet over the 10,000 mark by year-end.
The dry bulk carrier fleet has topped the 9,000 vessel mark, after a bumper number of newbuildings were delivered into service during January continue to arrive this month.
According to London-headquartered shipbroker Clarksons’ database, there were 9,021 vessels listed in the dry bulk fleet, up from the 8,997 at the start of February.
So far, Clarksons counts 149 bulkers delivered in January and 16 in February, adding 13.5m dwt. This stands at 14% of the record 1,173 vessels of 98m dwt that entered service last year.
The panamax segment for bulkers between 60,000-99,999 dwt accounts for most new deliveries, with Clarksons counting 47 so far, including nine this month.
Counterbalancing the newbuilding deliveries is a continuous stream of demolition sales, with at least 58 bulk carriers with a total capacity of 2.8m dwt understood to have been sold for scrap so far in 2012.
By comparison, 368 bulkers of 22.3m dwt were reported sold for demolition by the broker last year.
Overall, as of Friday, the dry bulk fleet stood at 9,021 vessels, over a third of it comprising handysize vessels between 10,000-39,999 dwt. This sector now numbers 3,065 vessels. The handymax fleet of 40,000-59,999 dwt has 2,504 ships and the panamax segment has 2,066.
“It is a supply problem that we are facing with a lot of newbuildings last year; almost one panamax and one capesize was delivered every working day,” Golden Ocean chief executive Herman Billung said.