Belships' expanded fleet and a strong spot market helped the Norwegian shipowner to book an upsized profit for the third quarter, trouncing analysts' estimates.

The Oslo-listed firm made a net profit of $35.2m during the period, up from a loss of $4.2m in the same quarter last year.

Freight markets for supramax and ultramax bulkers hit the highest levels since 2008 during the third quarter.