Dry Bulk Carrier Ship Sizes

There is some debate with regards to the classification of ship sizes. Truth is as ships get bigger and the designs more flexible we have had to adjust the terminology we use.

A few short years ago (ok maybe 15 years) there were four ship sizes

Handy size, handymax, Panamax and Capesize

Here is my take on the current sizes and appropriate terminology
　

• Very Large Ore Carrier VLOC 210,000 metric tonne dwt (deadweight)
• Capesize 120,000-209,999 dwt 
• Post-Panamax 85,000-119,999 dwt 
• Panamax 65,000-84,999 dwt
• Handymax 40,000-64,999 dwt
• Handysize 10,000-39,999 dwt

I love big ships...think I might take up ship spotting and plan my trip to gibraltar (the best place to watch ships) armed with nothing but binoculars, whisky and cigars. I may even go commando.

Heaven (if shipping is your thing).

VS

A chanced philisophical idea

"A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both."
---Chateaubriand

I think Alain De Botton probably loves that quote!

So who is reading the virtual shipbroker?

Its sometimes a little lonely reading (and writing) a blog so occasionally I check out where my audience is coming from. I occasionally let you guys know the details just so that you know you are not alone as VS avid readers. This month was a good month (readership continues to grow) and had approx. 12,000 individual page views. So who's reading? Last Months Top 10 United States 1959 United Kingdom 1721 Singapore 1442 India 778 Greece 484 Germany 392 Australia 331 France 261 Spain 256 Turkey 253     France and Spain readership seems to be growing and for the first time they make the top 10. Usually Denmark and Norway come in between 6 and 8 but alas not this month. Must be the warmer weather. Otherwise all the top maritime nations are there except off course our east Asian friends Japan, South Korea and China who have never been huge readers of these types of blogs (including financial ones too) for various cultural reasons.   I will take readers from anywhere - even North Korea or from my home town the tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. I have been speaking to the king about opening a local branch of the Institute of Shipbrokers possibly in one of the local Monastery's that isn't getting much use. But the king quite wisely stated that having a group of shipbrokers regularly attend a monastery is about as likely as the Italian mafia visiting the Vatican....hang on....maybe this could happen...leave it with me.   VS