It is a dilemma as old as the shipping industry itself: How can shipowners be encouraged to scrap enough vessels to put their markets back into a healthy balance?

Well, Frontline's latest conference call may have provided a couple of solutions.

The final question came from private investor Louis McGiven from Pittsburgh.

He questioned Frontline chief executive Robert Hvide Macleod about how much scrap prices influenced the decision of shipping companies to recycle vessels.