Dry Bulk Stocks Show Signs of Life -- Tankers Continue to Struggle

  The shipping sector has been posting a modest rebound this year due to a recovering global economy and strong overseas demand. The industry's recovery has been far from smooth, however, as surging fuel prices, a fluctuating freight market and a glut of ships continues to hurt growth. The Bedford Report examines the outlook for companies in the Shipping Industry and provides investment research on General Maritime Corporation (NYSE: GMR) and Frontline Limited (NYSE: FRO). Access to the full company reports can be found at:

www.bedfordreport.com/GMR

www.bedfordreport.com/FRO

The traditional indicator of the shipping industry's health and real time assessment of demand for global raw materials, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI), recently hit a one-year high, up more than 60 percent from its February low. Although the BDI is not an index of profitability for shippers, it does reflect increased revenue for those shippers focused on the spot market.

According to Reuters, the rally has been driven by firmer coal and iron exports from Australia to China had boosted the capesize market. Chinese imports of iron ore have increased for two consecutive months and to the highest since January, customs data show. China, which buys about 62 percent of all seaborne iron ore supply, will expand 9.3 percent this year and 8.7 percent in 2012, according to the median of 10 economists' estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

The Bedford Report releases stock research on the Shipping Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at www.bedfordreport.com and get exclusive access to our numerous analyst reports and industry newsletters.

The oil tanker industry remains in disarray, however. BW Maritime recently underlined the grim prospects facing oil tanker owners after it became the first owner to admit having laid up a ship out of service in the face of this year's slump in vessel charter rates. In North America and Europe, oil demand is way down. Western countries already were expected to see declining demand as their economies struggle to grow. Those concerns grew when the U.S. reported unexpectedly large crude supplies and weak gasoline demand.

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