Costamare is reported to be buying its first capesize vessel, in yet another episode of Greek container ship owners counter-cyclically investing some of their ample cash in the wobbly bulker market.

Several brokers and ship-management sources in Athens are linking the US-listed company to a $22.2m purchase of the 176,000-dwt Aquaenna (built 2011) from Monaco-based GoodBulk.

Costamare, a traditional boxship owner that does not discuss commercial transactions outside official public announcements, has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on bulkers since it started expanding into that segment a couple of years ago.