Since the beginning of the new year, the market conditions for chemical tankers are said to be improving.
According to DVB, the cargo demand for chemical tanker is to increase in 2013 and the scrapping volume is also to rise, which will further ease the overcapacity issue. In the past three years, the utilization ratio of the chemical tanker fleet been lower than 90% and has finally passed 90% in this year with the profits improve afterwards.
Besides, DVB estimates that global chemical tanker fleet is to reach 2597 vessels of 37.8m dwt by the third quarter of 2013, with newbuilding orderbook accounting for about 6% of the total which is much lower than other ship types.
Meanwhile, the scrapping level for chemical tanker has kept active in recent years: about 86 tankers of 1.8m were scrapped in 2009, 140 vessels of 2.76dewt in 2012, 171 vessels of 2.0m in 2011 and 103 vessels of 1.70m by the beginning of December in 2012.