The cost of buying modern secondhand vessels is maintaining a 13-year high compared to newbuilding prices, UK shipbroker Clarksons has calculated.

Clarksons Research analyst Trevor Crowe said this is a classic indicator of the health of the major markets and the appetite for existing tonnage.

“Secondhand versus newbuilding price ratios give an idea of how far investors are willing to go to get their hands on assets that are on the water today compared to investing in newbuild units,” he added.