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日本海事新聞ニュース Japan Maritime Daily Jun 16, 2025 (Mon)

Overseas Shipowners Divert Bulker Orders from China to Japan Amid US Port Fee Risk

Japanese-built Ultramax bulker

　Some overseas shipowners, wary of the increasing risks posed by Chinese shipyards, are moving to or ・・・続きはログインして下さいnext %E3%80%80Some+overseas+shipowners%2C+wary+of+the+increasing+risks+posed+by+Chinese+shipyards%2C+are+moving+to+order+bulkers+from+Japanese+shipyards+at+significantly+higher+ship+prices.+One+shipowner+had+been+considering+placing+an+order+with+China+for+the+construction+of+several+new+64%2C000-dwt+%2864-type%29+vessels+but+began+negotiations+with+Japan+after+the+United+States+announced+in+February+its+plans+to+impose+port+entry+fees+on+Chinese-built+ships.+In+order+to+secure+the+slipways+of+high-quality+Japanese+shipyards+while+avoiding+the+risks+of+construction+in+China%2C+it+appears+that+the+orders+were+placed+with+Japan+at+an+exceptionally+high+price+of+around+%2440+million+per+ship%2C+significantly+higher+than+current+market+prices%2C+and+on+top-heavy+terms%2C+with+40+to+50%25+of+the+price+of+those+vessels+to+be+paid+at+the+time+of+signing+the+contract.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Currently%2C+major+Japanese+shipbuilding+companies+are+not+receiving+many+inquiries+for+new+bulkers.+Slipways+are+generally+booked+up+to+futures+contracts+extending+beyond+2029%2C+and+the+gap+between+high+new+shipbuilding+prices+and+softening+long-term+charter+rates+remains+large.+Furthermore%2C+a+series+of+tariff+policies+by+the+Trump+administration+have+created+uncertainty+about+the+future+of+the+dry+bulk+market%2C+so+%E2%80%9Cmost+shipowners%2C+both+domestic+and+overseas%2C+are+waiting+to+see+how+newbuilding+orders+go%2C+and+it+feels+like+they%E2%80%99ve+gone+on+an+early+summer+vacation%2C%E2%80%9C+according+to+a+person+involved+in+the+new+shipbuilding+market.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+the+wake+of+the+United+States+announcing+plans+to+introduce+port+entry+fees+for+Chinese-built+ships%2C+there+have+been+several+cases+of+overseas+shipowners%2C+who+appear+to+be+averse+to+the+risks+posed+by+Chinese+shipyards%2C+approaching+Japanese+shipyards+with+inquiries+about+new+construction+of+small+and+medium-sized+bulkers.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Among+these+shipowners%2C+amid+competition+between+Japanese+and+Chinese+shipyards%2C+it+appears+that+some+have+recently+placed+orders+for+multiple+heavy+oil-fired+Ultramax+bulkers+with+Japanese+shipyards+at+high+prices+of+around+%2440+million+per+ship.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80This+ship+price+is+believed+to+be+in+the+highest+range+among+all+the+Ultramax+contracts+that+have+been+concluded+since+last+year%2C+including+those+in+last+fall+when+the+market+peaked.+This+is+40+to+50%25+higher+than+the+bottom+price+of+the+fall+of+2020%2C+when+new+building+negotiations+continued+to+stagnate.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+average+order+prices+for+Type+64+bulkers+received+from+Japanese+shipyards%2C+which+were+around+36+million+to+37+million+dollars+at+the+beginning+of+last+year%2C+have+continued+to+rise+gradually+in+line+with+the+steady+dry+bulk+market+conditions.+They+rose+to+a+recent+peak+of+around+38+million+to+39+million+dollars+last+fall+but+have+since+weakened+slightly.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+Ultramaxes%2C+which+were+sold+at+a+high+price+this+time%2C+have+a+delivery+date+of+2028-2029%2C+which+is+a+typical+completion+date+for+current+negotiations.+It+does+not+appear+to+be+a+premium+for+short-delivery+ships%2C+which+are+becoming+scarce+worldwide.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80If+so%2C+why+the+high+price%3F%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80According+to+market+sources%2C+the+shipowner+was+planning+to+develop+a+lot+of+small+bulkers%2C+mainly+Type+64s%2C+and+was+initially+considering+placing+an+order+with+China%2C+after+inspecting+Chinese+shipyards+to+verify+the+optimal+ship+type.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80However%2C+since+February%2C+when+the+Office+of+the+United+States+Trade+Representative+%28USTR%29+first+announced+a+proposal+to+impose+port+entry+fees+on+Chinese-built+ships%2C+the+shipowner+has+begun+considering+switching+to+construction+at+Japanese+shipyards.+They+confirmed+that+the+Japanese-built+ships+were+of+higher+quality+than+the+Chinese-built+ships+they+had+planned+to+order.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80As+a+result%2C+the+shipowner+appears+to+have+concluded+the+deal+on+terms+that+would+provide+certain+benefits+to+the+shipyard%2C+in+order+to+procure+a+large+number+of+Japanese-built+ships+amid+a+shortage+of+slipways+in+Japan.+In+other+words%2C+it+is+believed+that+%E2%80%9Ca+premium+was+paid+for+the+quality+of+Japanese+construction%E2%80%9C+%28market+insider%29.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+order+to+secure+the+slipways%2C+the+shipowner+is+said+to+have+accepted+terms+that+were+favorable+for+the+shipyard+in+addition+to+the+ship+price+premium%3A+%E2%80%9Cultra-top-heavy%E2%80%9C+payment+terms%2C+under+which+the+shipowner+will+pay+40+to+50%25+of+the+ship%E2%80%99s+price+to+the+shipyard+at+the+time+of+signing+the+contract.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+payment+ratio+at+the+time+of+contracting+for+a+new+ship+has+traditionally+been+around+10%25.+In+response+to+the+historically+weak+yen%2C+Japanese+shipbuilding+companies+have+started+to+expanded+their+top-heavy+proposals+from+around+2022%2C+asking+domestic+and+foreign+shipowners+to+generously+pay+up+to+30%25+of+their+contract+fees+so+that+they+can+increase+the+proportion+of+revenue+they+can+secure+at+the+current+weak+yen+level+while+offering+discounts+on+the+dollar-denominated+ship+prices.%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+this+latest+contract%2C+the+proportion+of+the+down+payment+the+shipyard+receives+at+the+time+of+signing+the+contract+is+significantly+higher+than+the+usual+top-heavy+arrangement.+For+this+reason%2C+the+contract+price+of+around+%2440+million+for+a+Type+64+is+already+high%2C+but+it+is+believed+that+%E2%80%9Cif+converted+into+normal+payment+terms%2C+the+total+ship+price+received+by+the+shipyard+will+be+even+higher%2C%E2%80%9C+according+to+the+same+source.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EDisclaimer%3A+The+English+translations+provided+through+this+service+are+the+result+of+translations+made+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+or+automatically+and+mechanically+translated+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+using+an+automated+translation+system+provided+by+a+third+party+after+certain+processing+of+the+Japanese+content+licensed+by+the+third+party.+In+terms+of+the+English+translation%2C+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+and+MarineNet+Co.%2C+Ltd.+make+no+warranty+or+burden+of+any+kind%2C+express+or+implied%2C+including+its+accuracy%2C+reliability%2C+validity+or+fitness+for+a+particular+purpose.+MarineNet+Users+should+fully+understand+that+this+service+uses+an+automated+translation+system+that+automatically+and+mechanically+recognizes+and+analyzes+information+and+produces+results.+The+users+should+understand+the+above+conditions+before+using+this+service.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E5%85%8D%E8%B2%AC%E4%BA%8B%E9%A0%85%EF%BC%9A%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%82%92%E4%BB%8B%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B%E3%81%95%E3%82%8C%E3%82%8B%E8%8B%B1%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%BD%9C%E6%88%90%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%81%8B%E3%80%81%E5%8F%88%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89%E4%BD%BF%E7%94%A8%E8%A8%B1%E8%AB%BE%E3%82%92%E5%8F%97%E3%81%91%E3%81%9F%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%86%E3%83%B3%E3%83%84%E3%82%92%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%B8%80%E5%AE%9A%E3%81%AE%E5%87%A6%E7%90%86%E3%82%92%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A7%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8C%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%A0%E3%82%92%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%9A%84%E3%83%BB%E6%A9%9F%E6%A2%B0%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AB%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E7%B5%90%E6%9E%9C%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%80%81%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E5%BD%93%E8%A9%B2%E8%8B%B1%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%AB%E9%96%A2%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%80%81%E3%81%9D%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%A3%E7%A2%BA%E6%80%A7%E3%80%81%E4%BF%A1%E9%A0%BC%E6%80%A7%E3%80%81%E5%A6%A5%E5%BD%93%E6%80%A7%E5%8F%8A%E3%81%B3%E7%89%B9%E5%AE%9A%E7%9B%AE%E7%9A%84%E3%81%B8%E3%81%AE%E9%81%A9%E5%90%88%E6%80%A7%E3%82%92%E5%90%AB%E3%82%81%E3%80%81%E6%98%8E%E7%A4%BA%E5%8F%88%E3%81%AF%E9%BB%99%E7%A4%BA%E3%81%AB%E3%82%82%E3%80%81%E3%81%84%E3%81%8B%E3%81%AA%E3%82%8B%E4%BF%9D%E8%A8%BC%E3%82%82%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%80%82%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%83%A6%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B6%E3%83%BC%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%81%8C%E3%80%81%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%9A%84%E3%81%8B%E3%81%A4%E6%A9%9F%E6%A2%B0%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AB%E6%83%85%E5%A0%B1%E3%82%92%E8%AA%8D%E8%AD%98%E3%83%BB%E5%88%86%E6%9E%90%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E7%B5%90%E6%9E%9C%E3%82%92%E5%87%BA%E5%8A%9B%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%A0%E3%82%92%E4%BD%BF%E7%94%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8%E3%82%92%E5%8D%81%E5%88%86%E3%81%AB%E7%90%86%E8%A7%A3%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A7%E3%80%81%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%82%92%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%82%82%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99%E3%80%82%3Cbr%3E