Norwegian shipowner Klaveness Ship Holding sliced its first half loss but a difficult tanker market helped keep the owner in the red during the opening six months of 2017.

The Norwegian company, chaired by Trond Harald Klaveness, booked a loss of $8.3m for the period, down from $21m a year ago.

It says the results came as the company operated in difficult markets, with earnings from its combination carriers described as weak this time around.