Crisis in the air led to bulker owners with cheque books in hand as sale-and-purchase (S&P) activity in the sector reached the highest level in at least a decade.
In all, $5.5bn has gone on 642 bulkers this year, well ahead of the $4.83bn invested in 439 dry cargo vessels during 2015, according to VesselsValue.
Its figures suggest that more bulkers were bought in 2016 than in any year since at least 2007.
