Capesize rates have been in the doldrums since late January's Vale dam catastrophe, but Safe Bulkers' Polys Hajioannou remains optimistic for the second half of 2019.

Rates for the ships have fallen 74% to $3,460 per day since the iron ore giant's closure of 50 tailing dams in the wake of the Brumadhino dam collapse which took 40 million tonnes off the market.