Brave Maritime’s purchase of up to four Japanese handysizes has built on a groundswell of Greek shipowners buying in that class.

On 5 February, the company said it had agreed to buy the quartet for $56m in total. The vessels, which it did not identify, were built between 2012 and 2015.

Handysizes have been the single most popular vessel class for Greeks, accounting for nearly 60 out of about 180 bulkers they are known or reported to have acquired since early 2020.