It’s the earnings, stupid.

That in a nutshell was the diagnosis by a panel of bankers as to both the disease that is plaguing shipping stocks and the recommended cure, as told to an audience at Capital Link’s International Shipping Forum in New York.

Earn more money. And earn it for longer.

“Investors need to see proof of sustainability of earnings," said Erik Helberg, chief executive of Clarksons Platou Securities.