Seanergy Maritime Holdings plans to join other bulker owners in distributing dividends to shareholders — but not just quite yet.

The New York-listed owner of 17 capesizes expects to start buying back shares instead, while waiting for the spot market to stabilise, chief executive Stamatis Tsantanis said.

"We will start with the stock buyback and once we're certain that our dividend policy is going to be sustainable, then at a certain point we will start that dividend policy," he told analysts in an earnings call on Tuesday.