Shipbroker Simpson Spence Young (SSY) is moving its growing LNG team into China with a Beijing-based hire.
The UK-headquartered company announced on Friday that former BRS broker Justin Wang will join the global SSY LNG team from April 2023.
The brokerage said Wang’s appointment means SSY will be the first shipbroker with an active LNG representative in the Chinese capital.
He will focus on further expanding SSY’s LNG presence in the region, backed up by the current 10-person team that is based in London, Singapore, and Stamford in the US, with business development in Madrid and Mumbai.
SSY — which has been adding new staff and offices in the wake of new managing partner Stanko Jekov taking the helm — described Wang as “an LNG specialist with over 15 years of commercial maritime experience”.
He completed a degree in International Trade and English in Beijing and went on to spend almost 13 years working for NYK Line and more than two for BW Group before joining BRS in late 2021.
Wang’s appointment to the SSY LNG team follows the addition of Magnus Tangen, the former marine solutions lead at Berkshire Hathaway, who joined in August 2022 to lead the department’s small-scale and LNG bunkering business.
SSY LNG managing director Toby Dunipace welcomed Wang to the team and said he is “excited” to establish a presence in Beijing.
“In doing so, SSY is making a very firm commitment to our customers in China,” Dunipace said. “Chinese growth in the LNG market has been significant and we feel that bringing in domestic experience will enhance the service that SSY LNG can offer.
“Our LNG business has developed rapidly in the face of a growing sector,” Dunipace said. “Justin will establish our LNG desk in Beijing and provide a more comprehensive service in China that in turn will benefit our customers around the world.”
Wang said: “The LNG division has built a very comprehensive global proposition and I look forward to working with the team as they continue to expand their offering and footprint at this exciting stage of development.”
SSY set up an LNG shipbroking division in 2004. The company said this has “grown considerably” over the past five years both globally and to cover every aspect of the LNG shipping value chain.
