China Ship Sales Collapse as Industry Sweats Over US Ports Plan
The slowdown in purchases is the latest sign that the US proposals are impacting markets, and hampering Chinese-owned vessels.
Photographer: Cameron Spencer/Getty ImagesShipping companies have all-but stopped buying dry bulk commodity carriers that were built in China as the industry waits to see if President Trump will press ahead with historic port charges on vessels constructed in the Asian country.
Just four made-in-China bulkers — ships that ferry everything from coal to salt — were sold in the second-hand market in March, according to Clarkson Research Services Ltd. data compiled by Bloomberg. That’s the fewest since at least 2022, and about a fifth of the monthly levels observed last year. Transactions involving Japanese and Korean carriers were little changed in the same period.