Dry bulk shipping may be overreacting to a recent downturn in the sector, according to a Diana Shipping executive.

"We feel that the fear meter is on the high side, and there is some justification for being afraid for the demand," chief strategy officer Ioannis Zafirakis said today during a fourth-quarter earnings call.

"There is the thought of the demand going down but we also believe that this may have been a little bit overestimated."