Nov jump in Japan’s new ship orders only ‘temporary’

New vessel orders received by Japanese shipbuilders rose in November by 15.8% on year to 787,550 gross tonnes, according to the latest data released by the Japan Ship Exporters’ Association (JSEA) on December 9. But an association official warned that the rise was temporary and not a sign of recovery, adding that ship plate consumption was still expected to decline further.

Though last month’s order volume was also up 7.1% from October, the total over January-November was about 6.45 million gross tonnes, down by a large 21.6% on year, according to the data.The shipbuilders are still having difficulties in their sales activities, being unable to meet overseas customers to discuss the contract details, the