They are the unloved of public shipping equities. Listed dry bulk shipowners are not only poorly valued by investors, they are virtually ignored by them.

And despite a rates surge that has perked up the numbers in recent weeks, it is unclear whether there is a real solution at hand anytime soon.

According to figures supplied by investment bank Jefferies, seven New York-listed owners traded an average 300,000 shares per day and a dollar volume of $4.2m