Today we bring you Editor's Selection from our US offices in Stamford, Connecticut, where we have had a busy week covering the death of two shipping industry leaders, a struggle with a shareholder and a major refinancing at Navios, and a debate over whether a shipping company without debt is as heretical as it sounds.
Trond's values as a journalist remain at the core of what we do here 30 years after he started this news organisation: digging up exclusive news, covering it with independence and integrity, and focusing on personalities because shipping is as much about people as it is about ships.
Here in the US, the industry has lost two key figures.
Pangaea Logistics Solutions chief executive Edward Coll, who brought a unique dry bulk platform to the roster of listed shipping companies, died on Monday.
On the west coast, Saltchuk Resources co-founder Stan Barer died at 82 after a battle with cancer. His impact extended well beyond the shipping companies his group oversaw, as he was active in opening the US trade with China and a lifetime supporter of the University of Washington.
This week we caught up with investor Ned Sherwood, who is calling for management changes at Angeliki Frangou-led Navios Maritime Partners, where he is a shareholder.
At the same time, Frangou was busy finalising a financing package at another group company, Navios Maritime Holdings, where a private company affiliated with the chief executive provided $263m in loans that paved the way for banks to provide new financing and allowed payment of a looming bond payment.
In such a capital-intense industry, debt seems almost as quintessential to shipping as steel.
And in this week's Streetwise newsletter, Joe Brady explored whether a shipowner can actually have too little debt.
After Genco Shipping & Trading chief executive John Wobensmith revealed his company's goal of becoming a zero-debt company, Joe found two camps.
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