Milestone Kamsarmax delivery from revamped Chinese yard to Fredriksen’s Seatankers

Sea Lyra, a 82,000-dwt vessel, was delivered by China Merchants Industry Qingdao Shipyard. It is the first in a series of four Kamsarmaxes being built at the yard for Seatankers. In addition, the company has six Newcastlemax bulk carriers under construction at the same facility.

In mid-April, Riviera reported Seatankers had sold approximately four bulk carriers within a month – three Kamsarmaxes and one Capesize – with an average age of around 12 years. All four vessels were originally built at Chinese shipyards.

Despite ongoing speculation about Mr Fredriksen’s future in the dry bulk market – especially after divesting from Golden Ocean – he recently made a new investment in Greek giant Star Bulk and subsequently increased his stake to 11.4% earlier this month.

Landmark delivery

The delivery of Sea Lyra also marks a milestone for China Merchants Industry Qingdao Shipyard. According to domestic media, it is the first vessel delivered by the yard since China Merchants Industry Holdings took over Qingdao Yangfan.

During the delivery ceremony, senior management at China Merchants Industry Holdings highlighted that the integration is expected to significantly boost the group’s capacity to build mainstream vessel types.

Established in 1949, Qingdao Yangfan currently holds an orderbook that includes Kamsarmax and Newcastlemax bulk carriers, along with feeder and larger container ships. Chinese media report that once fully operational, the shipyard’s annual shipbuilding capacity could reach 1.5M dwt.