Scorpio Bulkers is pouring cold water on reports that it has inked a contract to construct another series of kamsarmax bulkers at a shipyard in China. Earlier in the day the sale-and-purchase market was rife with rumours that the New York-quoted operator had booked six 82,000-dwt vessels at Shanghai Shipyard.
The rumour followed an article published by a reputable Chinese trade publication that suggested the units were due for delivery in the second-quarter of 2015. Scorpio Bulkers said the owner had not ordered any ships from Shanghai and noted it doesn’t plan to do so in the immediate future. Had the rumour been true industry observers note it would have marked a first for Shanghai, which is an affiliate of China State Shipbuilding Corp. Scorpio Bulkers is based in Monaco and New York where it oversees chartered tonnage and 74 newbuildings that are due for delivery at various intervals over the next few years. According to the company’s website the total includes 23 kamsarmaxes that are under construction at five different shipyards in both China and Japan.