A surge in kamsarmax orders explain the increase this year in contracts for panamax bulkers.

Clarksons says although the global orderbook for ships continues to decline, there are more panamaxes than at the end of 2009.

The increase is especially apparent for larger 80,000 to 100,000 dwt vessels, where the number has risen in the first 11 months of his year by 17.7% from 583 to 633.

It mirrors the fact that bulkers have been the most popular ship type ordered in 10 of those 11 months, some 62.1% or 68.4m dwt.

Some 20.5m dwt of larger panamaxes had been booked up to 1 December 2010, the highest ever apart from 2007. On an annualised basis the increase on 2009 is a massive 317%.

In comparison, orders in the first 11 months of 60,000 dwt to 80,000 dwt panamax bulkers totalled just 7.3m dwt, albeit still an annualised increase of 242%.

Clarksons says the containership sector has also seen significant year-on-year improvements in contracts placed, particularly for vessels in excess of 8,000 teu.

It attributes this to a combination of relatively low newbuilding prices and an optimistic forecast for future growth.

Interestingly, some 99 of the 114 containership contracts (86.8%) were shoehorned into the last six months.

Meanwhile, the 134.5m dwt of newbuilding deliveries so far in 2010 is an all-time record, says Clarksons. It is 14.9% up on the full-year 2009 figure of 117m dwt.

Again, this is due especially to a significant rise in deliveries of bulkers, notably capesize and panamax where the number of vessels is up 66.9% and 125% respectively compared with 2009. Most other main sectors have seen fewer deliveries.

Clarksons says the overall rise in newbuilding completions has been helped by a substantial increase in output by Chinese yards.