Kim Ullman says the tanker market will remain tricky for the rest of this year before inching upwards.

Concordia Maritime chief executive Ullman made the call as the Swedish shipowner recorded a loss for the first half of 2017.

“We expect the market to remain weak for the remainder of 2017,” he wrote in the company’s half-year report.

From 2018, Ullman says several factors point to a gradual improvement.