South Korea’s Pan Ocean looks to have dramatically increased its exposure to the handymax segment over the last three months.

The shipowner has chartered in some 22 extra ships in the 36,000 to 49,000-dwt segment since the start of the year, according to its latest results presentation.

At the start of 2017 its chartered-in handymax fleet numbered just 31 vessels, but by the end of the quarter the number had risen to 53.