Excel Maritime Carriers aims for excellence in ocean transportation of dry bulk cargo. The company charters its vessels for transporting cargo such as bauxite, coal, fertilizer, grain, iron ore, and steel. Its fleet, which consists of more than 45 dry bulk carriers of various sizes, has an overall capacity of about 3.9 million deadweight tons (DWT). Subsidiary Maryville Maritime manages the company's vessels. Chairman Gabriel Panayotides and his family own a controlling stake in Excel, which more than doubled its fleet in 2008 by buying rival dry bulk transporter Quintana Maritime.