Experienced German broker Axel Hopfner has joined Hamburg-based boutique sale-and-purchase (S&P) specialist Bruhn Shipbrokers.
Hopfner has a long track record in shipbroking, including establishing Howe Robinson’s presence in Germany when he opened that company’s Bremen and Hamburg offices.
Fifty-eight-year-old Hopfner tells TradeWinds that he and Bruhn founder Christoph Bruhn shared the same philosophy on how to do business.
“That is the reason I have joined,” he said.
“High quality, high standards” are becoming increasingly important for small shipbrokers, something clients can rely on, adds Bruhn.
He established his brokerage in 2005 and has known Hopfner for around 25 years.
Hopfner worked for 22 years with reputable Bremen-based family-based broking shop Steinmeyer before switching to Howe Robinson between 2004 and 2007.
The following 10 years were spent with Schlussel Reederei in Bremen, focusing on in-house broking and newbuilding projects, before joining shiprecycling specialist ReShip and briefly another Bremen-based company.
Hopfner will focus on S&P and newbuilding projects at Bruhn Shipbrokers, including containers where he is especially knowledgeable.
Bruhn Shipbrokers is based in Hamburg’s An der Alster, a short distance from Ballindamm where some of the city’s largest shipbroking offices are located.
Managing director Christoph Bruhn , previously a partner in Hamburg-based Tetzner & Bruhn Schiffsmakler, which he co-founded, has since 2005 been a board member of the Hamburg and Bremen Shipbrokers’ Association.
