UPDATE 1-Excel Maritime Q1 net more than triples, shares up

* Q1 EPS $2.57 vs yr-ago $1.76 * Voyage rev up 34 pct to $92.8 mln * Shares up 11 pct in after-market trade

May 21 (Reuters) - Greek dry bulk carrier Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd (EXM.N) posted a more than three-fold jump in first-quarter profit, helped by a 34 percent rise in voyage revenue, sending its shares up as much as 11 percent.

The Athens-based company reported a quarterly profit of $118 million, or $2.57 a share, compared with $35.1 million, or $1.76 a share, last year. Voyage revenue came in at $92.8 million.

According to Reuters Estimates, the company earned 95 cents a share, trumping analysts' average estimate of 9 cents a share, both of which excludes an unrealized swap gain, a gain from the sale of a vessel and amortization of favourable and unfavourable time charters.

Total revenue nearly quadrupled to $222.1 million. First-quarter revenue includes $129.1 million in non-cash revenue.

Excel Maritime said it secured 67 percent of its operating days for 2009 and 55 percent for 2010 under time charter employment.

Shares of the company were up $1.06 at $10.74 in trading after the bell. They closed at $9.68 Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Adveith Nair in Bangalore; Editing by Ratul Ray Chaudhuri)