The world of dry bulk shipping has not been very profitable lately, with too many ships chasing too little cargo, but at least one operator remains optimistic. But Diana Shipping of Greece, which operates a fleet of 29 dry bulk carriers, including 17 Panamax, two Post-Panamax, eight Capesize and two Newcastlemax, has just added another Post-Panamax, the 98,697dwt Amphitrite, and it has already gained a two-year charter for the new vessel. Built by China’s Tsuneishi Group (Zhoushan) Shipbuilding for another owner, who then defaulted, the 240m by 38m Amphitrite was purchased for $24.6 million, a surprisingly good price for that size of ship on today’s market. Diana also has two ice-class 76,000dwt Panamax newbuildings on order at a price of $29 million each, both for delivery before the end of this year. JS
