Diana Shipping has fixed an ultramax bulker on a period deal to Delta Corp Shipping in a sector that has been on the rise in recent weeks. The Semiramis Paliou-led owner of 36 bulkers has signed its 60,466-dwt DSI Pollux (built 2015) to Delta at $17,000 per day for a charter lasting anywhere from 14 months to 16 months. New York-listed Diana expects to make about $7.14m for the minimum period of the charter, which began on Thursday.

The Athens-based owner fixed another ultramax, the 60,382-dwt DSI Pixus (built 2018), to Cargill Ocean Transportation at $17,100 per day on a charter that will last from 10 months to a year and began on 16 October. Two other ultramaxes have gotten that daily rate on one-year fixtures in the past two weeks. BulkTrading hired Grecomar Shipping’s 63,323-dwt Vita Kouan (built 2016) on 21 October for a charter starting that day. Olam International hired Asyad Shipping’s 63,244-dwt Jabal Shams (built 2019) on 11 October for a voyage starting anywhere from 25 October to 5 November.

The average daily rate for one-year ultramax charters has made steady gains in the first few weeks of October, according to data from Clarksons Research. It rose from $16,750 per day on 30 September to $17,250 per day on 7 October and 14 October before improving to $17,375 per day on 21 October.