A scion of the Saverys family is swapping the worlds of winemaking and broking for the business of shipowning.

Basile Aloy, a seventh-generation member of one of Europe’s best-known shipping families, will use funds from the sale of shares in Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) to capitalise on opportunities in the dry bulk sector.

His newly incorporated Antwerp company, Ebe — named after the goddess that served wine in Greek mythology — is poised to start operations this month with the intention of building up a small Belgian-flag dry cargo fleet.