The calendar may show a new year, but for a large number of dry bulk vessels off the coast of China not much has changed.

A total of 71 dry bulkers still wait for permission to call upon a Chinese port to offload their cargoes of Australian coal. The most recent vessel joined the "queue" in January this year while the first ship is estimated to have been idled there since May 2020, shipping association Bimco tells ShippingWatch.