Shipowners in Greece are reported to have placed large orders during the first quarter of 2013 concentrating mainly on capesize bulkers and fuel-efficient vessels, according to Golden Destiny.
During the first three months of this year, Greek shipowners have contracted for 41 vessels, showing a rise by 32% from 31 vessels of the same time period last year, said Golden Destiny.
They booked orders for 17 dry bulk vessels of an aggregate 2.6m dwt, 11 tankers of 561,600 dwt, four containerships, two LNG carriers and four LPG carriers, etc.
Also, total newbuilding investment by Greek owners amounted to nearly $3.2bn, not including five deals for which no price was provided, Golden Destiny reported.
Particularly, orders for capesize bulkers are said to have increased - a total of eight orders for capesize are said to have been placed at Sungdong Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering of Korea; five from Marmaras Navigation and three from Alcyon Shipping. Another two capsizes were awarded at Japan Marine United by Oceanbulk Maritime.
Meanwhile, global new orders are reported to have risen by around 43% year-on-year to 471 vessels, according to Golden Destiny.