Swiss trading house Mercuria Energy Group, controlled by Marco Dunand and Daniel Jaeggi, is stepping up activity across both wet and dry, with January shaping up as its busiest month yet.

The asset-hungry trader continues to make waves in the secondhand market, growing its capesize fleet to four vessels in as many months, while also pushing ahead on the wet side. Last week, Mercuria was noted fixing out two VLCCs to Sinokor and committing close to $300m to newbuildings, brokers say.

On the dry side, the Geneva-based outfit has snapped up the Golden Magnum (179,800 dwt, built 2009 at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) for $28.7m. The capesize was sold by Belgian group CMB.TECH through its dry cargo arm Bocimar.

As reported by Splash in October, Mercuria also bought the Bocimar-controlled Battersea and Belgravia (169,000 dwt, scrubber-fitted, built 2009 at Daehan) for just under $50m en bloc, later renaming them Sunrise Monarch and Sunrise Prosperity.

Brokers say Mercuria is not done. The trader has reportedly signed contracts for two firm 211,000-dwt newcastlemaxes at Nantong Xiangyu Shipbuilding, with options for two more, priced at around $77.5m each for 2028 delivery, alongside two 115,000 dwt tankers at DSIC, also for 2028, at about $72m per ship.