Shipping veteran Andy Fryatt has died at the age of 74 after a long career taking in shipowners, managers and oil companies.
The Englishman was most recently global head of chartering at Swiss trader and tanker owner Mercuria.
The company said he retired “reluctantly” at 72 and expressed its sadness at his passing, describing him as a friend and colleague.
He died on 2 February in The Wellington Hospital in London, surrounded by his family.
Fryatt was born in Newcastle, north-east England, in 1949. He embarked on a distinguished career in the shipping world, beginning as a seafarer in the British Merchant Navy, and over the course of a decade, he ascended to the rank of master mariner.
He then moved ashore, competing in the amateur golfing circuit, playing off scratch, with his future wife, Avril, serving as his caddie. Faced with a choice between professional golf and a career in shipping, he opted for the latter.
Trading switch
Fryatt spent time at Common Brothers in the 1970s, when it was the largest ship management company in the world, as an assistant to fleet managers, and then owner and manager Hudson Steamship.
He was chartering manager at Kuwait Oil Tanker Co in London during the 1980s.
Towards the end of that decade, Fryatt moved to Scanports, owned by trader Phibro, as a fuel charterer, quickly becoming head of worldwide chartering, a role he later reprised at Sempra Energy.
In 1997, the chartering expert founded AB Shipping, securing exclusive contracts with leading oil trading houses.
The company is an exclusive broker for Mercuria and Phibro.
During his time at Mercuria, working closely with CEO Marco Dunand and president Daniel Jaeggi, Fryatt was pivotal to the trader’s development, contributing more than two decades of hard work, industry knowledge and dedication, his former employer said.
“Andy dedicated his life to the shipping industry,” Mercuria added.
He is survived by Avril; their children James, Hannah and Becky; and seven grandchildren, with whom he cherished spending time.
