Expansionist-minded Maersk Broker has grown its LNG team with two new hires and has opened a London desk for the sector.
Former Clarksons broker Maria Bitri joined the brokerage as a director in December after a long spell of gardening leave.
Maersk Broker said Bitri is joining as a director of a new “dedicated LNG desk”.
“The LNG carrier market has increased significantly in importance over the last decade,” the company said. “As a geopolitically important fuel, and with a wave of new LNG liquefaction projects, the market has experienced high demand.”
Bitri said in a social media post: “I am looking forward to the new responsibility of establishing an LNG desk at Maersk Broker in London, building a team as well as connecting with new people, internally and externally.
The broker, who has worked in LNG shipbroking and chartering for 13 years — more than 11 of which were spent at Clarksons — added: “I expect the market to grow substantially in the future, with new liquefaction plants and regasification terminals coming on stream.”
At the start of the year, Maersk Broker also employed Espen Selstad as manager for LNG carriers in its Singapore team.
Selstad, who has previously worked with Mitsui OSK Lines, joined the broking house from Novatek Gas & Power Asia, where he was head of shipping and chartering.
TradeWinds has asked Maersk Broker Asia chief executive Claus Plougmand, who is in charge of the LNG business, for comment on the LNG expansion within the team.
