Negative sentiment has left the dry bulk market plumbing depths no shipowner had anticipated during the typically strong fourth quarter, says Golden Ocean chief executive Birgitte Vartdal.

Expectations for a continued recovery had been high after a strong third quarter - but after five successive weeks trending downwards the Baltic Dry Index had sunk to 1,003 points on Tuesday.

“Going into the fourth quarter, which normally is a seasonal high, rates continue to...