THE number of approved newbuildings at Japanese shipyards last month was down substantially from June to 15 ships.
In terms of tonnage, the weight was 380,000 gross tonnes (gt), down 46.7 per cent, according to the Ministry of Transport (MOT).
The April-July accumulated total of newbuildings came to 122 ships totalling more than 3.2 million gt, down 25.8 per cent from the second quarter of last year.
The ministry said there was an unusually sharp decline in newbuilding starts in July, but the situation would improve this month.
The July newbuilding starts were a 4,280 gt tanker for domestic use and 14 ships for export, totalling 429,310 gt.
Of the export orders, only one ship would be exported, with the remaining 13 vessels coming under Japanese control.
