Long-Term Debt (Details) (USD $)					3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		9 Months Ended				1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012 Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018 [Member]	Jun. 20, 2011 Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018 [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018, Tranche A [Member]	Nov. 30, 2011 Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018, Tranche B [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018, Tranche B [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Secured Debt [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2015 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2015 [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2012 [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2012 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2013 [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2013 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018 [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2014 [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2014 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2020 [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2020 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2017 [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2017 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018d [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018d [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018b [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018b [Member]		Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2017b [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2017b [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018c [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018c [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018, Tranche B [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Secured Debt [Member] Notes Payable - Variable Rate 2018, Tranche B [Member]		Mar. 31, 2012 Unsecured Line of Credit [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Unsecured Line of Credit [Member]		Jun. 30, 2012 Unsecured Line of Credit [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Unsecured Line of Credit [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Unsecured Line of Credit [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Unsecured Line of Credit [Member]		Sep. 30, 2012 Unsecured Line of Credit [Member] Notes Payable Variable Rate 2013 b [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Unsecured Line of Credit [Member] Notes Payable Variable Rate 2013 b [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate (in hundredths)									1.3673%	1.5738%	0.00%	[1]	0.00%	[1]	1.7106%	[2]	1.8293%	[2]	2.8788%	[3]	3.0632%	[3]			3.2702%	[2]	1.10%	[2]	1.0957%	[2]			3.06%	[2]					3.2458%	[2]	2.5805%	2.644%	3.1306%	3.2458%	2.9521%	[3]	3.00%	[3]										3.9805%	[4]	4.0349%	[4]
Interest rate, minimum (in hundredths)																																			2.95%	2.88%
Interest rate, maximum (in hundredths)																																			2.96%	2.92%
Maturity date									2015		2012	[1]			2013	[2]			2018	[3]			2014	[2]			2020	[2]			2017	[2]			2018		2018	[2]			2017		2018		2018	[3]												2013	[4]
Total principal due	$ 213,611,000	$ 322,093,000							$ 13,333,000	$ 15,333,000	$ 11,795,000	[1]	$ 12,845,000	[1]	$ 12,375,000	[2]	$ 29,389,000	[2]	$ 19,755,000	[3]	$ 22,332,000	[3]	$ 0	[2]	$ 13,318,000	[2]	$ 47,939,000	[2]	$ 60,808,000	[2]	$ 0	[2]	$ 41,656,000	[2]	$ 49,680,000	$ 52,440,000	$ 0	[2]	$ 24,162,000	[2]	$ 14,182,000	$ 15,675,000	$ 16,330,000	$ 18,460,000	$ 18,222,000	[3]	$ 6,175,000	[3]		$ 10,000,000	[4]			$ 10,000,000	[4]	$ 9,500,000	[4]
Less current maturities	(27,951,000)	(36,079,000)
Long-term debt - non-current	185,660,000	286,014,000
Term of financing agreement			7 years
Number of tranches				2
Proceeds from borrowings of long-term debt					24,200,000	6,100,000	12,700,000																																													10,000,000	18,500,000
Maximum borrowing capacity						23,300,000
Line of Credit Facility, Extended Expiration Date																																																	April, 2014
Repayment of line of credit																																																		10,000,000			28,000,000
Commitment fee on undrawn portion of facility (in hundredths)																																																						0.125%
Number of loans paid off from sale proceeds								3
Number of loans paid down from sale proceeds								2
Repayments of Japanese Yen facility from sale proceeds								$ 10,000,000
Margin subtracted from 30 Day LIBOR interest rate (in hundredths)											0.50%

[1] This facility was priced using 30 Day LIBOR as the interest rate less a margin of .50%. Since 30 Day LIBOR has been consistently below .50% for the past several years, the all-in interest rate is 0.00%

[2] In the first quarter of 2012, we used proceeds from the sale of capital assets to pay off three loans in full and two loans in part, including approximately $10 million of the Japanese Yen facility.

[3] We entered into a variable rate financing agreement with ING Bank N.V., London branch on June 20, 2011 for a seven year facility to finance the acquisition of a Cape Size vessel and a Handymax Bulk Carrier Newbuilding, both of which we acquired a 100% interest in as a result of our acquisition of Dry Bulk. Pursuant to the terms of the facility, the lender agreed to provide a secured term loan facility divided into two tranches: Tranche A, fully drawn on June 20, 2011 in the amount of $24.2 million, and Tranche B, providing up to $23.3 million of additional credit. Under Tranche B, we drew $6.1 million in November 2011 and $12.7 million on January 24, 2012.

[4] In March, 2012, we amended our unsecured line of credit to extend the expiration date until April, 2014. At December 31, 2011, we had $9.5 million drawn and during the first quarter of 2012, an additional $18.5 million was drawn. We repaid the entire $28 million by March 31, 2012. During the second quarter of 2012, we drew $10 million. This $10 million was repaid in July of 2012. During the third quarter of 2012, we drew an additional $10 million, which left $10 million outstanding at September 30, 2012. Associated with this credit facility is a commitment fee of .125% per year on the undrawn portion of the facility.