Erasmus Shipinvest, an Athens-based manager and operator of bulkers, is to expand its scope to include new types of ships in its fleet.

Feeder containerships and LPG tankers are "in the pipeline" to join the company’s existing stock of dry cargo carriers, according to its website.

The company’s chief executive John Su was unavailable to clarify how many of these vessels the company intends to manage, over what time frame or who the clients might be.

Established by Su in 2010, Erasmus has been known to provide asset management and services to owners and commodity traders through fixed time charter rates on a long-term basis.

According to IHS Markit, all Erasmus vessels have Japanese entities, such as Daido Kaiun, as registered owners.

The company’s clients seem to have been cashing in on rising bulker values lately, grasping the opportunity to offload handysizes.

Several brokers reported in November that the 34,400-dwt ES Uranus (built 2014) was sold to undisclosed interests for $21.8m.

A month earlier, the sistership ES Venus was reported sold as well, for $20.5m, but no such deal materialised and TradeWinds is told that the vessel was never up for sale.

Earlier in the year, China’s Xiamen Luyang Shipping agreed to buy the 29,100-dwt ES Pluto (built 2012) at an undisclosed price and the vessel is now trading as the Lu Yang Shun.

Developing a taste for tankers

Low-profile Erasmus does not entertain a fleet list on its website, so it is difficult to keep track of what vessels it manages at any given time.

According to IHS Markit, the company currently operates a dozen dry cargo vessels, with its fleet consisting of nine handysizes and open-hatch bulkers, two ultramaxes and one panamax.

The Greek Shipping Directory lists it with a bigger fleet of 18 ships that includes six panamaxes.

Erasmus is not the only Greek-based company known to be seeking opportunities outside its bulker comfort zone. TradeWinds already has reported on how the Tsangaris family set up a tanker venue earlier this year.

Lion Bulk Carriers, another low-profile bulker owner, dipped a toe in tankers as well.

The company emerged last month with its first such vessel, the 16,700-dwt Boroy (built 2007). That ship was reported sold in late October by Sweden's Furetank Rederi to unidentified buyers at an undisclosed price.

Furetank took delivery of an 18,000-dwt dual-fuel tanker newbuilding earlier this year, which will run on LNG or liquid biogas.

According to Equasis, the Boroy joined Lion Bulk Carriers on 29 November and is now trading as Essex Star.

Led by Synesios Leontiadis, Lion Bulk Carriers was set up in 2016 and had previously managed handysize and supramax bulkers.