Italian shipping company Globeco is in the process of selling a handysize bulk carrier currently under construction at Avic Weihai, currently set for delivery before the end of 2016 after the original delivery had been postponed from July 2015.

Brokers report that the newbuilding has already been renamed Don Mariano, and sold to undisclosed buyers for US$14.5m. However, Globeco chairman Mariano Pane confirmed that "negotiations with a third party are currently underway" but also emphasized the fact that "no deals have been closed yet".

The Rome-based shipping company ordered the ship in 2013 for US$19-20m, while today the vessel is valued at approximately US$15m. This investment in the dry bulk business was a diversification from Globeco’s core business operating ecological and offshore vessels.