Star Bulk Carriers saw a near 20% improvement in charter rates for the fourth quarter, but it could not keep the shipowner out of the red.

The Petros Pappas-led bulker owner lost $32.7m for the last three months of 2016 against losses of $311m a year earlier.

The company said the daily time charter equivalent (TCE) of its fleet was $8,202 versus the $6,897 seen in the last three months of 2015.

Revenue