Japanese financier Orix may spend up to $1bn on snapping up European banks' shipping loans.
The company plans to gradually increase exposure to the struggling maritime sector.
"We want to buy investment-grade ones from European lenders' portfolios," corporate executive vice president Kiyoshi Fushitani told Reuters.
"We've been approached many times for such talks," he added.
Earlier this month, Orix said it was buying $289m of loans from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
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