Japan's March Ship Orders Up 23% From Last Year

Ship export contracts concluded by Japanese shipyards in March totaled 20 vessels, or 781,290 grt, an increase of 23.3 percent from a year earlier, an industry body said. A breakdown shows that there were orders for seven freighters, 11 bulk vessels and two oil tankers in March.

For fiscal 1999 ended March, Japan received orders for 288 vessels, or 10.97 million grt, up 69.6 percent from the previous year.