Three days is a long time in shipping.

On Monday, Belgian owner Euronav revealed that John Fredriksen had bought a 5.5% stake in the tanker giant.

Analysts said the move was likely a bet on the tanker recovery, rather than a merger or takeover bid involving Fredriksen's Frontline.

But on Wednesday, the tanker tycoon's private Cyprus-based Famatown Finance told the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that the company now holds 9.8%,