CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Accumulated depreciation for vessels and vessel improvements (in dollars)	$ 276,929,765		$ 239,568,767
Accumulated depreciation for other fixed assets (in dollars)	420,668		324,691
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01		$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	25,000,000		25,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0		0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	[1]	$ 0.01	[1]
Common stock, shares authorized	100,000,000	[1]	100,000,000	[1]
Common stock, shares issued	15,771,496	[1]	15,771,496	[1]
Common stock, shares outstanding	15,771,496	[1]	15,771,496	[1]
Retained earnings, dividends declared (in dollars)	$ 262,118,388		$ 262,118,388

[1] Adjusted to give effect to the 1 for 4 reverse stock split that become effective on May 22, 2012, see Note 1.