He is said to have acquired 1.6m shares in the Singapore company earlier this month at an average of SGD 0.981 each (70 US cents).

The acquisition lifts his stake in the shipowner to 2m shares, according to the filings to the Singapore Stock Exchange.

Shares in NOL have rebounded 33% since November last year from SGD 0.74 each on the back of improving sentiment in the sector.

NOL