Trouble in the capesize market has contributed to the jump as owners swapped dry newbuildings for wet, the shipbroker said in a report today.

Gibson counts 84 new tankers over 25,000-dwt added to the orderbook in the opening three months of 2015, the highest first quarter tally since the same stretch of 2007.

January accounted for half of the tankers contracted in the quarter, which included 13 fresh VLCCs.