In recent secondhand chemical tanker market, more and more transactions are reported to be fixed at low price. A stainless steel chemical tanker is said to be sold at only half of the value before financial crisis.
According to insiders, the long-term depression in chemical tanker shipping market has pushed most owners to sell their vessels. However, it is rumored that the current price has been the hit the bottom since last year’s decline.
Take the Japan-built 20,000dwt stainless steel chemical tanker for example, a two-year ship’s value is assessed at $27.0m to $28.5m currently and a five-year one is about $40.0m. Before the financial crisis, a newbuilt stainless steel chemical tanker is valued at $54.0m and even more.
Many Japanese owners choose to sell their tankers at lower price due to poor operation and thus draw the prices down. Nevertheless, some Greek buyers are active in buying chemical ships recently, which makes the rebounding of the prices after hitting the bottom expectable.