The shipbuilding market is expected to slow down over the next period. On the one hand, the high prices for new ship building, and on the other hand, the large number of orders, give the shipyards and the shipping companies the chance to rest until September.
According to Affinity, many shipyards have proceeded with agreements over their berths for the next three or more years, resulting in the suspension of the sales in their commercial departments even for a whole year. However, the shipbuilding industry will return stronger and on its own terms as of next September.
With the balance of power remaining largely in favor of the shipyards as their order books remain full, prices are expected to remain stable over the coming months.
Costs have also played a role in keeping prices high, for example a new contract for a 300,000-tonne VLCC tanker is at $129m, $45m more than in 2021, and for a 200,000-tonne Newcastlemax bulk carrier remains at $66m.
