Hellenic adding to fleet with Supramax

Hellenic adding to fleet with Supramax    Dry bulk cargo shipping company Hellenic Carriers Ltd. has entered into an agreement to acquire a 2001 Japanese built Supramax with a carrying capacity of 52,508 deadweight tons.
   Hellenic will pay $69.7 million for the vessel, Furness Timika, with delivery expected between Sept. 15 and Nov. 15. The vessel is to be renamed and will be financed through a combination of existing cash resources and bank debt, utilizing one of Hellenic's existing credit lines offered by the National Bank of Greece.
   Following completion of this acquisition, Hellenic’s fleet will comprise four Panamaxes, two supramaxes and one handymax, with a total carrying capacity of 425,469 dwt.
   “Hellenic Carriers has secured additional tonnage building up its presence in the supramax sector. We believe that the greater versatility offered by these ships is well suited to serve the constantly growing infrastructure needs in the developing economies, underpinning the continued strength of the dry bulk shipping sector,' said Fotini Karamanlis, chief executive officer.