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日本海事新聞ニュース Japan Maritime Daily Jul 01, 2022 (Fri)

Safe Bulkers pays attention to secondhand Capesize

Mr. Hajioannou

　Polys Hajioannou, Chairman and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Safe Bulkers, a major dry bulk carr ・・・続きはログインして下さいnext %E3%80%80Polys+Hajioannou%2C+Chairman+and+CEO+%28Chief+Executive+Officer%29+of+%3Cb%3ESafe+Bulkers%3C%2Fb%3E%2C+a+major+dry+bulk+carrier+owner+in+Greece%2C+agreed+to+an+interview+with+the+Japan+Maritime+Daily+in+Athens.+He+expressed+the+idea+of+investing+heavily+in+used+Capesize+bulkers+for+the+next+few+months+in+anticipation+of+the+Chinese+government%E2%80%99s+post-coronavirus+pandemic+infrastructure+investment.+Even+though+the+company+has+been+building+new+ships+in+Japan%2C+it+decided+in+May+to+place+an+order+with+a+Chinese+shipyard+for+the+first+time+in+eight+years.+Hajioannou+cited+ship+prices+and+delivery+dates+as+reasons+for+ordering+in+China+and+said%2C+%E2%80%9CThe+price+gap+between+Japanese+yards+and+Chinese+yards+is+more+than+five+million+for+Kamsarmax.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%3Cb%3ESafe+Bulkers%3C%2Fb%3E%E2%80%99+fleet+has+a+total+of+43+ships+including+Capesize%2C+Post-Panamax%2C+and+Kamsarmax.+It+is+a+dry+bulk-only+shipowner+listed+on+the+New+York+Stock+Exchange.+They+put+Panamax+in+spot+operations+or+charter+contracts+with+a+term+of+one+year+or+less%2C+and+put+Capesize+mainly+in+charter+contracts+with+a+term+of+two+to+three+years.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+company+highly+evaluates+the+construction+quality+of+Japanese+shipyards%2C+and+80%25+of+its+ships+in+the+fleet+are+made+in+Japan.+It+currently+has+10+new+ships+ordered%2C+of+which+8+will+be+built+in+Japan.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Hajioannou+said+%E2%80%9CWe+have+a+close+relationship+with+Japanese+charterers%2C+shipyards%2C+financial+institutions%2C+ship+owners+for+leasing+business%2C+and+JBIC+for+export+credit+finance.%E2%80%9C+Particularly%2C+he+said%2C+emphasizing+its+high+creditworthiness%2C+%E2%80%9CWe+are+the+only+Greek+company+in+the+last+40+years+to+obtain+export+credit+finance+from+the+Japanese+government.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%96%A0+To+buy+2-3+ships+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+recent+months%2C+%3Cb%3ESafe+Bulkers%3C%2Fb%3E+has+purchased+four+used+Capesize+vessels+completed+in+2012-2014.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Regarding+the+reason%2C+Hajioannou+said%2C+%E2%80%9CWe+believe+that+the+Chinese+government+will+invest+heavily+on+infrastructure+to+boost+the+economy+in+the+post+COVID-19.+Therefore%2C+we+are+buying+second+hand+and+we+prefer+Capesize+to+capture+this+possibility.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80He+continued+and+said%2C+%E2%80%9CMaybe+in+the+next+few+months%2C+we%E2%80%99ll+buy+two+or+three+more+vessels+and+put+them+into+a+2+or+3-year+charter+contract.%E2%80%9C+Then+he+said%2C+%E2%80%9CWe+prefer+to+buy+second+hand+from+Japanese+owners+but+there+are+not+so+many+for+sale+in+the+market+at+the+moment.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%96%A0+Over+%2440+million+in+Japan+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+May%2C+the+company+ordered+two+new+Kamsarmax+ships+from+a+Chinese+shipyard.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Hajioannou+explained%2C+%E2%80%9CIt+is+because+the+Chinese+yard+also+develops+the+new+design+of+EEDI+phase+3+and+we+get+an+attractive+price+in+China.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Specifically%2C+he+said%2C+%E2%80%9CThe+Japanese+shipyard+increased+the+price+for+Kamsarmax+a+lot+to+over+40+million+dollars.+I+think+it%E2%80%99s+not+so+easy+to+order+at+these+prices%2C+so+we+look+into+China+for+the+next+few+months.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Moreover%2C+he+said%2C+pointing+out+the+difference+in+completion+dates%2C+%E2%80%9CWe+wanted+an+earlier+delivery.+These+2+newbuilding+vessels+in+China+will+be+delivered+in+2024+and+the+very+beginning+of+2025.+On+the+other+hand%2C+most+Japanese+yards%E2%80%99+delivery+slots+are+now+reaching+2025.%E2%80%9D+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%96%A0+S%26LB+in+Japan+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+terms+of+finance%2C+for+the+past+year%2C+it+has+been+actively+utilizing+sale+%26+leaseback+%28%3DS%26LB%2C+leaseback+after+sale%29+of+new+and+existing+ships+with+Japanese+shipowners.+It+also+provided+loans+to+existing+vessels+through+JOLCO+%28Japanese+Operating+Lease+with+call+option%29.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Regarding+this+background%2C+Hajioannou+said%2C+%E2%80%9CDuring+the+time+of+COVID-19+restriction%2C+many+European+banks+were+very+slow+on+developing+their+business.+Therefore%2C+there+was+an+opportunity+to+do+business+with+a+new+way+of+financing.+We+have+used+all+these+sources+of+finance.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Then+he+talked+about+the+attractiveness+of+S%26LB+with+Japanese+shipowners+and+said%2C+%E2%80%9CGood+Japanese+owners+offer+competitive+rates+in+line+with+European+banks+and+it%E2%80%99s+usually+longer+term.%E2%80%9D+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Regarding+future+financing%2C+he+said%2C+%E2%80%9CIt+depends+on+the+situation.+We+will+develop+business+with+European+banks+in+the+next+few+months+as+we+are+normalized+back+from+COVID-19.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80He+went+on+to+say%2C+%E2%80%9CAt+the+moment%2C+our+company+has+a+lot+of+liquidity%2C+so+we+don%E2%80%99t+need+too+much+finance.+We+think+that+finance+will+be+needed+in+future+for+the+case+of+further+investment+in+new+types+of+vessels.+Liquidity+will+be+needed+when+we+know+the+new+type+of+engines+for+decarbonization.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Regarding+the+low+and+decarbonization+of+ships%2C+he+said%2C+%E2%80%9CBefore+we+know+what+type+of+fuel+will+prevail%2C+we+cannot+take+firm+decisions+on+what+we+can+order+for+the+next+generation+vessels.+Also%2C+I+don%E2%80%99t+think+that+the+shipyards+will+be+ready+before+2026+to+make+available+bulk+carriers+with+a+new+type+of+engines.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80He+said%2C+%E2%80%9CWe+don%E2%80%99t+want+to+be+the+very+first+to+order+and+then+find+out+that+the+fuel-selected+is+not+available+in+the+market+when+those+ships+are+delivered.+We+need+to+be+a+little+bit+more+patient.+Maybe+2023+will+be+the+time+to+consider+a+new+type+of+engine+for+our+newbuildings.+Of+course%2C+we+are+always+open+to+discuss+and+exchange+the+ideas+with+shipyards.%E2%80%9C+%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