Diana Shipping has taken delivery of two new 208,500 dwt bulk carriers "San Francisco" and "Newport News" three years after the original shipbuilding contract was signed, raising the number of vessels managed by Diana to 48 bulk carriers for 5.7 million dwt.

The "San Francisco" have been chartered by Singapore's Koch Shipping for a daily rate of US$11,750 over 12 to 16 months, while the "Newport News" was chartered by the Geneva's SwissMarine Services S A for 22 to 26 months, reported Tornos News of Greece.

The NYSE-listed shipping company also borrowed $57.24 million from the Export-Import Bank of China to finance the purchase of the two vessels.