Dry Bulk Shipping in Perfect Storm

Dry bulk shipping is facing a “perfect storm” and requires drastic supply side measures if the industry is to return on course to profitability in the medium term, according to the latest Dry Bulk Forecaster report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry.

PTI previously reported that although the dry bulk industry is in an uncertain state, dry bulk is likely to see a surge in reorganisation in 2016.

Drewry estimates that if dry bulk ship-owners collectively removed half of all capesize ships over 12 years old, equating to around 20 million dead weight tonnage of capacity, it would enable earnings to return to profitability by 2018.

If they were to remove all old capesize vessels the recovery would occur even sooner. This could be achieved through a combination of scrapping and temporary vessel idling.

Technical Paper: Humber International Terminal: A dry bulk powerhouse

While the proposed adjustments may seem harsh, there is now a need for industry wide action otherwise the market will remain loss making for the foreseeable future.

Rahul Sharan, Lead Analyst for dry bulk shipping at Drewry, said: “The only solution is for shipowners to remove older capesize vessels from the fleet until the market recovers, otherwise the industry faces many more years of losses.

“Any market correction resulting from inevitable insolvencies will not alone be sufficient to correct supply/demand imbalances as vessels will simply be recycled back into the fleet.”

Technical Paper: The Future of Dry Bulk Handling

Rahul Sharan is to contribute a paper to the next edition of PTI – the Mega-Ship Issue.

The economic slowdown in China continues to negatively impact demand for iron ore and coal shipments while the fleet carries on rising.

The recent slump in the Baltic Dry Index to an all-time low of 345 points and Drewry expects earnings to deteriorate further through 2016 as more vessels are fixed at rates well below operating costs.

Sharan concluded: “In the absence of radical action, we expect dry bulk shipping freight rates to deteriorate further through the course of the year and to remain weak in 2017. Any recovery will be pushed out further with little near term prospect of a return to profitability.”