More than three years after setting up his own company, Velos Tankers, Paschalis Diamantides is taking a plunge into bulkers as well.

Ship management sources in Athens are tying him to a $22m deal for the purchase of the 77,100-dwt Nord Libra (built 2014) — a Japanese-owned ship chartered in by Norden.

Management of the vessel will be entrusted to Velos Dry, a company affiliated with Velos Tankers, which Diamantides built from scratch to its current fleet size of one aframax, five MRs and three panamax oil carriers.