Baltic Leopard - non- endangered species - updated

Despite the somewhat exotic name, the bulk carrier Baltic Leopard is one of a large class of ships generally referred to as Handysize. These are bulk carriers between 40,000 and 60,000 dwt. The class is subdivided in Handymax, less than 50,000 dwt and Supramax, between 50,000 and 60,000 dwt. Generally around 200m in length and fitted with four 30 tonne cranes, they can be used for a variety of bulk cargoes, and are thus considered to be "handy" or versatile.

Baltic Leopard arrived this morning and anchored in the upper reaches of the harbour and appeared to be undergoing hold cleaning / inspection. This would normally take place before loading a sensitive or food grade cargo such as grain.

It was built in 2009 by Yangzhou Dayang in Yangzhou, China as Borak for Turkish owners, flying the Malta flag. In 2010 it was placed under the management of Genco Shipping and Trading Ltd flying the Marshal Islands flag. Among about 60 or so other bulkers in the fleet, some are prefixed with "Genco" and others with "Baltic". Some of the latter are named for animals of all sorts including mammals and insects, resulting in some as yet undiscovered species, such as the Baltic leopard.

The former Baltic Trading Company merged into Genco in 2015, and the ship carries the letter "B" on its funnel. Genco is a publicly traded company based in New York.

At 31,117 grt, 53,447 dwt it qualifies as a Supramax and has four cranes with grabs and five holds. It arrived from Wilmington, DE , but its next port has not been published. I suspect it carried salt on that last voyage, hence the need for hold cleaning before loading and inspection before loading again.
The ship is scheduled to move to pier 27 tomorrow to load.

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