US-listed Safe Bulkers, an owner of 50 bulkers in the water and under construction, entered 2022 on the same heady pace as in the previous year.

Net income for the first quarter, a traditionally weak earnings period for bulker owners, rose to $36.4m, a 71% leap from the same period of 2021. The result was underpinned by a 24% increase in net revenue to $77.7m.