- Bulk carrier sales down 13% year-to-date.
- Panamax emerges as the only dry bulk segment with growth.
- Mid-age and vintage bulk carriers dominate transactions.
From January to July 2025, the market for buying and selling bulk carriers and tankers took a bit of a hit compared to the same stretch in 2024. In total, 703 vessels over 10,000 DWT changed hands, which is a 15% drop from the 831 transactions we saw last year, reports Safety4Sea.
Dry Bulk Sector Overview
In the dry bulk segment, 469 vessels have been sold so far in 2025, marking a 13% decrease from the 537 transactions during the same months in 2024. The Handysize sector led the pack with 122 sales, followed closely by the Supramax segment with 108, making up 23% of the total. Interestingly, the Panamax sector came in third with 58 transactions, but it was the only segment to see growth, jumping 26% year-on-year.
Age Profile and Buyer–Seller Activity
Most sales were focused on older ships. Vessels aged 11–15 years were the most active, with 215 transactions making up 46% of bulk carrier sales, while the 16–20-year group followed with 99 sales. Greek owners were the most active sellers, parting with 98 vessels, primarily Panamax and Supramax units averaging 20 and 18 years old, respectively. On the flip side, Chinese buyers were the big players in acquisitions, snapping up 80 vessels, mainly Supramax ships averaging 17 years and Panamax vessels averaging 19 years.
Tanker Market Overview
In the tanker sector, 234 vessels of at least 10,000 DWT have been sold so far this year, which is a 20% decline from the 294 sales recorded from January to July 2024. The MR2 segment took the lead with 71 sales, followed by Aframax/LR2 units at 41 and VLCCs at 31. Notably, the Suezmax sector was the only category to see growth, with 27 vessels sold—almost double the number from last year.
Vintage ships were at the forefront of tanker activity. The 16–20-year age group took the lead with 113 sales, making up nearly half of all tanker transactions. Meanwhile, vessels older than 21 years also experienced a boost, with 34 sales, marking a 26% increase from 2024. Greek owners were the most active sellers, parting with 50 vessels across the Aframax/LR2, MR2, and VLCC categories. On the buying side, Chinese buyers once again led the way, acquiring 38 vessels, primarily Aframax/LR2 and VLCC units, which averaged around 18 years old.
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Source: Safety4Sea
