Private Greek shipowner Nikolaos Vafias has made a significant investment in additional tonnage — purchasing three vessels in a single week in deals worth in excess of $60m, sources said.

Vafias has bought a single capesize from a compatriot in a swoop that has clear parallels with his last countercyclical venture in the same space in 2016.

He has also entered two LPG niches for the first time, with the purchase of a secondhand vessel from a major Japanese owner and the acquisition of a resale under construction in Japan, market sources believe.