The demolition market is starting to exhibit healthy levels of activity once again. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Clarkson Platou Hellas said that “it feels like there has been a bounce back from the recent ‘falls’ as sentiment once again looks set to ignite. The sector to provide tonnage to the recycling industry continues to be the wet side of the industry as there are reports of numerous tanker units engulfing the market. The Pakistani recyclers look set to try to compete with their counterparts in Bangladesh, evidenced by the sale reported below. Bangladesh remains stable at this precise time with levels still hovering just above the USD 600/ldt level, but a delicate scenario is showing from India as the rupee encountered regular falls during the week. There are some in the industry that are concerned these current firm rates will not survive into October, however this largely depends on the scale of tonnage that descends on the market in the coming weeks”, the shipbroker said.

In a separate note, Allied Shipbroking said that “the robust sentiment and the strong earnings in the dry bulk and container segments have limited demolition candidates in the market, leaving scrapyards focus primarily on tanker units, which are continue to struggle with their current freight earning levels. This past week we saw Bangladesh retaining offered prices at attractive levels (around US$600/ldt), given the robust fundamentals in the local market. However, there was a limited number of deals that came to light, with domestic players though remaining confident for the coming weeks. At the same time, India continued for yet another week on a recovery path, with business disruptions as part of the pandemic having eased off now.

The number of enquiries is improving, albeit still remaining behind competition, with HKC recycling being the key edge for local players. In Pakistan, demand was robust this past week, as several deals emerged. Healthy fundamentals and stable conditions in the country have helped local breakers in increasing their market share, while heavily competing as of late with Bangladesh for the top position. Market participants remain optimistic and with a fair amount of appetite likely to hold in the coming weeks”, Allied concluded.

Meanwhile, GMS (www.gmsinc.net), said this week that “after a wobbly late August that finally saw the recycling markets even off over the last couple of weeks, sub-continent markets (India and Bangladesh) witnessed a noteworthy drop in steel plate prices this week, as local sentiments started to increasingly take a step back, in anticipation of a further decline. As such, the general skepticism from Cash and End Buyers alike, is that the markets may have improved far too quickly of late and that the inevitable correction from such a firming may rear its ugly head in the near future.

“Are prices likely to fall as quickly as they have risen of late?” is the question presently on everyone’s mind. While there are those who would argue there are some signs of future stability i.e. weaker supply of tonnage leading into Q4, stable forward / future prices, post-monsoon construction projects across the sub-continent driving the recent demand for steel and China’s recent anti-dumping decision on the rest of the world, yet, there are those who feel this temporary blip will not survive the rest of the year as the recent firming has simply been too aggressive and Recyclers are reading the tea leaves with these recent drops in steel and are starting to re-adjust their indications accordingly. Out West in Turkey, the market seems to be in a steady to firming state, as reports of increasing inquires and firming demand have been forthcoming this week, despite a marginally weaker import steel price and Lira. As the world starts to emerge to the new realities of dealing in a post Covid-19 world and economies try to get back into the swing once again, we can only hope for some sustained stability for the ship recycling sector heading into 2022”, the world’s leading cash buyer of ships concluded.
Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide