Tank Barge Market Report - May 2018

Following is a breakdown of both foreign and U.S. tank barges officially on the market and available through Marcon. Not included are those barges not officially on the market, which we may be able to develop on a private and confidential basis.

Of the 3,752 barges and 13,306 vessels we currently track, 705 are tank barges with 34 inland and 34 ocean or coastal barges officially on the market for sale. Four of the 34 inland barges are 10 years of age or less. Fifteen or 44.1% of the inland barges are 25 years of age or over. The oldest inland tank barge listed today is a 75 year old, 9,000BBL tank barge used for transporting #2 oil in the U.S. Great Lakes. This old lady is counterbalanced by one propelled, foreign-flagged 2012-built 270mt capacity bunker barge located in the Middle East. Nine double hull inland barges listed in the Americas from 11,066-30,000BBL capacity were built after 2000. One year ago, 40 inland barges were available with an average age of 25 years and five years ago, 26 inland barges were available with an average age of 33 years. The inland barges currently available for sale average 24 years old. While some tonnage has started working again, we continue to see excess barges available for sale or heading to scrappers.

Of the 34 ocean/coastal barges, six are 10 years of age or less. Fifteen or 44.1% of the ocean & coastal barges are 25 years of age or over with the oldest one, a U.S. flagged, double-hull, 119,000BBL barge, built in 1970 and retrofitted in 2006. This is countered by a newly built 280’, 42,000BBL double hull oil barge. In May 2013, 52.9% of the 34 ocean and coastal barges listed for sale were 25 years of age or over, with the oldest barge being a 1965-built 53,000BBL barge in West Africa. Today, same and eight more ocean/coastal barges are officially available for sale compared to five years and one year ago, respectively. Average age of all ocean/coastal barges for sale today is 23 years old (1995), compared to 28 years (1989) last year and 26 years (1987) five years ago. The decline in age suggests to us that older barges have been disposed of, most likely sold as scrap.

Twenty-four of the inland tank barges which Marcon has today listed for sale are located in the U.S., followed by six in Europe, two in Latin America and one each in the Caribbean and the Mid-East. Seventeen ocean / coastwise barges listed for sale are in the U.S., followed by eight in Southeast Asia, three in Africa, two each in Canada and the Far East and one each in Europe and the Mid-East. Forty-four of the 68 tank barges Marcon has listed for sale worldwide are double hull. Thirty-one of these are U.S. flag of which three are nine to ten years old, 18 are 11 – 25 years old and the remaining ten are 26 - 55 years of age. The foreign double-hull barges range from a new build in the Far East up to 28 years old in Africa.

Commercial Marine Brokers since 1981

Tank Barge - May 2018 Market Report.pdf