Belgian bulker owner Bocimar has moved to cool market chatter about a potential sale of its handysize bulker fleet.

Talk in dry cargo circles has suggested a mysterious fund had made a $130m run at the fleet of 16 ships, which was rejected.

Alex Saverys, chief executive of Bocimar parent CMB, told TradeWinds: "We have not sold our handysize fleet and we don’t know who started the rumour with regards to the sale, the ‘unknown’ fund or the price.”