September blues for Japanese builders

Tokyo: Japanese builders received just 12 export shipbuilding orders totalling 566,900 gross tonnes in September - down 59.3% on September last year. More than 80% of those orders were for Japanese companies overseas discoveries meaning Japan has missed out almost entirely on the recent boom in shipbuilding orders. With the exception of one Lpg carrier, all the orders were for bulkers.  September's orders take the new export order intake for the first half of fiscal 2006 to 167 vessels of 7.1m gt, a marginal improvement on the same period last year. (18/10/06)