The scrapping of a Cosco Shipping bulker has come as a bit of a surprise to the sector amid a stronger dry bulk market.

The Chinese shipping giant has sold the 52,000-dwt Cos Knight (built 2002) for demolition at domestic shipbreakers, according to London shipbrokers and Equasis.

The 15-year-old supramax, built at Japan's Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, went for an undisclosed price likely to be about $2m.