Japanese Foreign Ship Orders Up Sharply

Japanese shipyards received foreign orders for 38 vessels totaling 1,350,650 grt in September, up 175 percent from a year before, the Japan Ship Exporters' Association said last week. A breakdown of September showed 35 orders were for bulk carriers, and three orders for oil tankers, it said. In August, foreign ship orders totaled 1,063,280 grt, up 110.3 percent year on year. The statistics account for orders association members received for steel vessels of 500 grt or more.