Diana Shipping has found two years of continuous employment for one of its four newcastlemaxes, but the vessel will not be earning as much per day as it did on a one-year charter ending next week.
The New York-listed owner of 41 bulkers fixed the 208,006-dwt San Francisco (built 2017) for between 23 months and 25 months at $22,000 per day to freight operator SwissMarine.
The fixture, which is expected to start on 19 February, is anticipated to make about $14.9m for Athens-based Diana for the minimum period of the charter.
The San Francisco is scheduled to end a one-year charter with the shipping arm of Koch Supply & Trading that is earning $30,500 per day on 15 February.
Though the daily rate for the ship is much lower under SwissMarine’s employment, it is still much higher than Clarksons assessment of $14,500 per day for a year-long capesize charter.
And it more than five times the Baltic Exchange’s Capesize 5TC spot rate average, which rose 13.3% over the past week to $4,033 per day on Friday.
Meanwhile, two mid-size vessels also scored year-long fixtures at daily rates that are well above the spot market and higher than the average daily rate earned by panamaxes on one-year fixtures, Baltic Exchange data showed.
Daiichi Chuo Shipping fixed D’Amico Dry’s 87,605-dwt Medi Amalfi (built 2017) at $17,750 per day for 12 months to 14 months.
The ship, which will be delivered to Japan’s Port of Kinuura, is set to be loaded on 19 February.
Norden chartered Evalend’s 82,300-dwt kamsarmax Sian (built 2023) at $15,000 per day for one year after taking delivery of it in China’s Port of CJK. The vessel will be loaded from 14 to 19 February.
That daily rate is almost twice the Panamax 5TC rate of $7,779 per day on Friday, which is down 8% from a week ago and tracks kamsarmax-size vessels.
It is also just under Clarksons’ $15,250 per day assessment of the rate for a one-year charter of an 82,000-dwt panamax.
