Hong Kong-based Taylor Maritime is quietly assembling a fleet of handysize bulkers after making the 32,000-dwt Verdant Island (built 2006) its most recent purchase.
Brokers say the Hakodate-built ship was acquired for just under $10m.
The relative newcomer represents a second-generation comeback for one of the best-known names in the handysize business.
The team behind Taylor Maritime is understood to be headed by principal Edward Buttery, the son of shipowner Chris Buttery.
