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Fair value measurements
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Fair value measurements [Abstract]  
Fair value measurements:
19.       Fair value measurements:
The guidance for fair value measurements applies to all assets and liabilities that are being measured and reported on a fair value basis. This guidance enables the reader of the financial statements to assess the inputs used to develop those measurements by establishing a hierarchy for ranking the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair values. The same guidance requires that assets and liabilities carried at fair value should be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories based on the inputs used to determine its fair value:
Level 1:      Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
Level 2:      Observable market based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data;
Level 3:      Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data.
In addition, ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” requires companies to recognize all derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities at fair value in the statement of financial position.
Fair value on a recurring basis:
Interest rate swaps:
The Company enters into interest rate derivative contracts to manage interest costs and risk associated with changing interest rates with respect to its variable interest loans and credit facilities.
In June 2013, the Company entered into two interest rate swap agreements with Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (the “Credit Agricole Swaps”) to fix forward its floating interest rate liabilities under the two tranches of the Credit Agricole $70,000 Facility (Note 8c). The Credit Agricole Swaps were based on an amortizing notional amount beginning from $26,840 and $28,628, for the Star Borealis and Star Polaris tranches, respectively, of the Credit Agricole $70,000 Facility. The Credit Agricole Swaps were effective by November and August 2014, respectively, and mature in August and November 2018. Under the terms of the Credit Agricole Swaps, the Company pays on a quarterly basis a fixed rate of 1.705% and 1.720% per annum, respectively, while receiving a variable amount equal to the three month LIBOR, both applied on the notional amount of the swaps outstanding at each settlement date. As of December 31, 2015, the notional amount of these swaps was $24,898 and $26,130, for the vessel Star Borealis and the vessel Star Polaris, respectively.
In addition, on April 28, 2014, the Company entered into two interest rate swap agreements (the “HSH Swaps”) to fix forward 50% of its floating interest rate liabilities for the HSH Nordbank $35,000 Facility (Note 8f). The HSH Swaps came into effect in September 2014 and mature in September 2018. Under the terms of the HSH Swaps, the Company is paying on a quarterly basis a fixed rate of 1.765% per annum, while receiving a variable amount equal to the three month LIBOR, both applied on the notional amount of the swaps outstanding at each settlement date. As of December 31, 2015, the notional amount of these swaps was $15,385.
Up to August 31, 2014, because the Credit Agricole Swaps and the HSH Swaps were not designated as accounting hedges, changes in their fair value at each reporting period up to that date, were reported in earnings as a loss under “Gain/ (Loss) on derivative financial instruments, net”. On August 31, 2014 the Company designated the Credit Agricole Swaps and the HSH Swaps as cash flow hedges in accordance with ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. Since that date, the effective portion of these cash flow hedges is reported in “Accumulated other comprehensive income / (loss)” while the ineffective portion of these cash flow hedges is reported under “Gain / (Loss) on derivative financial instruments, net”.
As part of the Merger, the Company acquired five swap agreements that Oceanbulk Shipping had entered during the third quarter of 2013 with Goldman Sachs Bank USA (the “Goldman Sachs Swaps”). The Goldman Sachs Swaps were effective by October 2014 and mature in April 2018. Under their terms, Oceanbulk Shipping makes quarterly payments to the counterparty at fixed rates ranging between 1.79% to 2.07% per annum, based on an aggregate notional amount beginning at $186,307 on July 1, 2015, and increasing up to $461,264 on October 1, 2015. The counterparty makes quarterly floating rate payments at three-month LIBOR to the Company based on the same notional amount. Upon the completion of the Merger, on July 11, 2014, the Company re-designated the Goldman Sachs Swaps as cash flow hedges in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, the effective portion of these cash flow hedges, from that date and until March 31, 2015 (see below), was reported in “Accumulated other comprehensive income / (loss)”, while the ineffective portion of these cash flow hedges was reported as gain under “Gain /(Loss) on derivative financial instruments, net”, in the statement of operations for the relevant period. As of December 31, 2015 the notional amount of these swaps was $451,426.
Due to (i) changes in the timing of delivery of some of the Company's newbuilding vessels and, by extension, the timing of some of the forecasted transactions, (ii) changes in LIBOR curves, and (iii) the sale of some of the Company's vessels in 2015 whose loans had been designated as hedged items, the Company determined that the “highly effective” criterion of the hedging effectiveness test for the Goldman Sachs Swaps was not satisfied for the quarter ended June 30, 2015. Consequently, the hedging relationship related to the Goldman Sachs Swaps no longer qualified for special hedge accounting, and as of April 1, 2015, the Company de-designated the cash flow hedge related to the Goldman Sachs Swaps. As a result, changes in the fair value of these swaps since the date of de-designation, April 1, 2015, were reported in earnings under “Gain / (Loss) on derivative financial instruments, net”. The amount already reported up to March 31, 2015 in “Accumulated other comprehensive income / (loss)” with respect to the corresponding swaps will be reclassified to earnings when the hedged forecasted transaction impacts the Company's earnings (i.e., when the hedged loan interest is incurred), except for $1,793 related to loans of sold or expected to be sold vessels that were reclassified to earnings in the year ended December 31, 2015, since the forecasted transaction attributable to these vessels was no longer expected to occur. The unamortized balance of “Accumulated other comprehensive income / (loss)” with respect to the corresponding swaps as of December 31, 2015 was $1,261.
The amount recognized in Other Comprehensive Income / (Loss) is derived from the effective portion of unrealized losses from cash flow hedges.
The amounts of Gain/ (Loss) on derivative financial instruments recognized in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations are analyzed as follows:
 
Consolidated Statement of Operations
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2013
 
 
2014
 
 
2015
Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments, net
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unrealized gains/(losses) from the Credit Agricole Swaps and the HSH Swaps before hedging designation (August 31, 2014)
$
91
 
$
(799
 ) 
$
               -   
Unrealized gains/(losses) from the Goldman Sachs Swaps after de-designation of accounting hedging relationship (April 1, 2015)
 
 -
 
 
 -
 
 
3,443
Realized gains/(losses) from the Goldman Sachs Swaps after de-designation of accounting hedging relationship (April 1, 2015)
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
(4,918
)
Write-off of unrealized losses related to forecasted transactions which are no longer considered probable reclassified from other comprehensive income/(loss)
 
 -
 
 
 -
 
 
(1,793
)
Ineffective portion of cash flow hedges
 
 -
 
 
 -
 
 
 -
Total Gains/(Losses) on derivative instruments, net
$
91
 
$
(799)
 
$
(3,268)
Interest and finance costs
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reclassification adjustments of interest rate swap loss transferred to Interest and finance costs from Other comprehensive income/(loss)
 
 -
 
 
(1,055
 ) 
 
(2,416
)
Total Gains/(Losses) recognized
$
91
 
$
(1,854)
 
$
(5,684)
 
An amount of approximately ($578) is expected to be reclassified into earnings during the following 12-month period when realized.
In relation to the above interest rate swap agreements designated as cash flow hedges and in accordance with ASC 815 “Derivatives and Hedging - Timing and Probability of the Hedged Forecasted Transaction,” the management of the Company considered the creditworthiness of its counterparties and the expectations of the forecasted transactions and determined that no events have occurred that would make the forecasted transaction not probable.
The following table summarizes the valuation of the Company's financial instruments as of December 31, 2014 and 2015, based on Level 2 observable inputs of the fair value hierarchy such as interest rate curves.
 
 
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
 
2014
 
2015
 
 
(not designated as cash flow hedges)
 
(designated as cash flow hedges)
 
 
(not designated as cash flow hedges)
 
(designated as cash flow hedges)
ASSETS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest rate swaps - asset position
$
 -
 
 -
 
$
 -
 
 -
Total
$
                           -   
 
                           -   
 
$
                      -   
 
                       -   
LIABILITIES
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest rate swaps - liability position (current and non-current)
$
-
 
7,732
 
$
7,642
 
807
Total
$
                           -   
 
7,732
 
$
               7,642
 
807
 
The carrying values of temporary cash investments, restricted cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate their fair value due to the short-term nature of these financial instruments. The fair value of long-term bank loans, bearing interest at variable interest rates, approximates their recorded values as of December 31, 2015.
The 8.00% 2019 Notes have a fixed rate, and their estimated fair value as of December 31, 2015, determined through Level 1 inputs of the fair value hierarchy (quoted price on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol SBLKL),  is approximately $24,000 .
Fair value on a nonrecurring basis
As a result of the decline in charter rates and vessel values during the previous years and because market expectations for future rates were low and vessel values were unlikely to increase to the high levels of 2008, the Company reviewed, in 2013, 2014 and 2015 the recoverability of the carrying amount of its vessels. The impairment analysis for the year ended December 31, 2013 and 2014, indicated that the carrying amount of the Company's vessels was recoverable, and therefore, the Company concluded that no impairment charge was necessary. As further discussed in Note 5, the Company recognized an impairment loss of $321,978 for the year ended December 31, 2015, of which:
(i) $17,815 relates to sold operating vessels that had been delivered to their purchasers as of December 31, 2015 or bareboat vessels that were reassigned to their owners during the year. The carrying value of these vessels was written down to the fair value as determined by reference to their agreed sale (or reassignment) prices less costs of sale.
(ii)  $201,585 relates to sold operating vessels and newbuildings in 2015 or in early 2016 that had not been delivered to their purchasers as of December 31, 2015. The carrying value of these vessels was written down to the fair value as determined by reference to their agreed sale prices less costs of sale.
(iii)  $102,578 relates to certain other operating vessels and newbuildings. Pursuant to its impairment analysis for the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company estimated that these operating vessels and newbuildings would have future undiscounted projected operating cash flows to be earned over their operating life less than their carrying value. In estimating the projected cash flows for these vessels, the Company took into consideration the possibility of their sale, to the extent that attractive sale prices are attainable. The carrying value of these vessels was written down to the fair value as determined by reference to the vessel valuations of independent shipbrokers (as of mid to late December 2015).  
The following table summarizes the valuation of these assets described under (ii) and (iii) above, measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis as of December 31, 2015.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fair Value Measurements Using
Long-lived assets held and used
 
Quoted Prices
in Active
Markets for
Identical
Assets
(Level 1)
 
Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
 
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
 
Impairment
loss
 
Vessels, net
 
 
$                     —
 
 
$      259,775
 
 
$               —
 
 
$   145,631
 
Advances for vessels under construction
 
 
—
 
 
36,152
 
 
—
 
 
158,532
 
TOTAL      
 
 
$                     —
 
 
$      295,927
 
 
$               —
 
 
$   304,163
 
 
In addition, please refer to Note 1 for the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed by the Company at the Merger and the Pappas Transaction on July 11, 2014, which was the acquisition date.