The Indian company said its net deficit was INR 439.3m ($7.12m) to 30 September, compared to INR 112m in the same three months of 2013.

Total income from operations rose to INR 5.02bn from INR 4.91bn the year before.

In October, Singaporean authorities released Essar’s 175,000-dwt bulker Kiran (built 1994) which was arrested on 2 October.

Germany's Dr Peters had the ship arrested in what appeared to be a longstanding row over unpaid hire for a VLCC.

The