In the Belgian shipowner’s latest earnings release it said “discussions with various yards are ongoing”, which suggests a recent declaration date extensiongave the company the flexibility it needed to shop around for the best deal.

The update was made in a report in which Exmar said its third-quarter operating result slipped to $20.2m from $46.3m year-on year despite a $6.9m boost from the sale of the 35,000-cbm Tielrode