We are an independent shipbroker with an approach focused on expertise rather than scale.
Thursday 25th Jan 2018, 09.00 GMT
Thursday was another day in the tanker markets when volume did not translate into freight cost increases. The refrain is miserably familiar, so I won’t dwell on it here as the markets are well covered by our daily reports as well as our Tanker Weekly, now available from our website.
I have deliberately stayed off the topic of Davos this week as it is extremely well covered in what these days we must call the MSM or Main Stream Media. It’s all fake news apparently so we can comfortably ignore it, especially news such as the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moving the hands of the Doomsday Clock forward to two minutes to midnight (cue happy memories for ageing Iron Maiden fans).
But, with an eye on the topic of the growing influence of artificial intelligence in business (artificial intelligence is better than none at all I suppose), I was interested in a presentation at Davos given by Marc Benioff, the chief executive of Salesforce, the software that helps to manage customer relationships. Mr Benioff reported that every senior staff meeting for that last year has been attended by the company’s AI, nicknamed Einstein.
“I ask Einstein, ‘I heard what everybody said but what do you actually think?’” reported Benioff, before revealing that Einstein is heartless, replying on one occasion, “Well I don’t think this executive is going to make their number, I’m so sorry.” The executive in question was visibly upset, says Benioff, not to mention humiliated as Einstein proceeded to break down this assertion into hard facts. Mr Benioff says that these instant, if brutal, insights are hugely useful.
Those anonymous analysts oft-quoted by the MSM say that robo-managers will be in charge of millions of us in a few years’ time, evaluating staff performance and increasingly making management decisions. This is a step beyond the uses of data and analysis that I have promoted throughout my career, which is that good data, provided in a timely manner, can help humans to make better decisions.
As an example, our website and apps are designed to be customisable so that you, the user, can create your own dashboard of live data. The idea is that you can control the data and analysis you see, rather than having to sift through our output (we can demo this to you online or in person at your convenience).
Meanwhile, may I leave you to your weekend with this thought. Einstein and its ilk should not frighten us. Many of us have sat in meetings being excoriated by ruthless analysis of our performance delivered by inhumane automata. They traditionally go by the title of Finance Director.
Affinity Research LLP
Dry Cargo
Dry Cargo
Our dry bulk chartering teams in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Santiago, Lima, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Singapore and London are cargo-focussed and they fix voyage, COA and time charter business on behalf of their clients with a wide range of ship owners.
For Atlantic business please contact Hans Bredrup
For Pacific business please contact David Oakley
Contact: Hans Bredrup
hans.bredrup@affinityship.com
Contact: David Oakley
david.oakley@affinityship.com
LNG
LNG
Our young and dynamic LNG team possess wide-ranging experience of spot and term charters working with all major LNG shipowners and charterers. The LNG team has close interaction with the Newbuilding and Sale & Purchase divisions with an unrivalled track record of contracting LNG newbuildings and in the sale and purchase of LNG assets.
We maintain up-to-date knowledge and an understanding of new technologies within the LNG sector to ensure that our clients can make the most suitable and cost-effective decisions on shipping solutions.
Contact: Joni Mackay
joni.mackay@affinityship.com
+44(0)20 3142 0133
Newbuilding
Newbuilding
Our Newbuilding team has concluded over 500 newbuildings of all types, including LNGCs, FSRUs, drillships, crude tankers, product tankers and dry cargo vessels. We have contracted in all major newbuilding centres globally, with particular focus on the Korean Shipyards.
Contact: Nick Wood
nick.wood@affinityship.com
+44(0)20 3142 0111
Offshore
Offshore
Affinity Offshore is based out of our Oslo and Houston offices. The Team focuses on world-wide sale & purchase of offshore support vessels, as well as chartering – particularly in the Americas and Mediterranean/MENA regions.
Contact: Tor-Øyvind Bjørkli
tob@affinityship.com
+47 2109 8211
Research
Research
Our research department combines real time market information with econometric modelling and the latest technology.
Contact: Sevita Kondyliou
sevita.kondyliou@affinityship.com
+44(0) 788 006 2480
S & P
S & P
Our Sale & Purchase team has extensive experience of working with private clients, national shipping companies, major corporates, oil companies, grain houses and institutional investors. We provide a cradle to grave services across all shipping sectors. We operate from London, Singapore and Seoul to give 24-hour coverage of the markets, working for both newbuilding and second-hand buyers.
Contact: Toby English
toby.english@affinityship.com
+44(0)20 3142 0123
Tankers
Tankers
Our established tanker chartering teams serve the industry from London, Houston and Santiago delivering a highly proficient spot chartering service with a prime position in the fuel oil market. The team has close relationships with oil majors, national oil companies, oil traders and major ship owners and operators.
Our ethos for operations and post-fixture is simple: these roles are as important to us as the chartering/commercial function, and we continue to apply those same principles of professional ship broking throughout the life of each fixture.
Contact: Tim Gurdon
tim.gurdon@affinityship.com
+44(0)20 3142 0142
Valuations
Valuations
We provide transparent, objective ship valuation service to major owners, banks and other financial institutions at short notice and a daily basis. We provide a retainer service for regular fleet valuations.
Contact: Ben Pusey
ben.pusey@affinityship.com
+44(0)20 3142 0125
Dry Cargo
Our dry bulk chartering teams in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Santiago, Lima, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Singapore and London are cargo-focussed and they fix voyage, COA and time charter business on behalf of their clients with a wide range of ship owners.
For Atlantic business please contact Hans Bredrup
For Pacific business please contact David Oakley
Contact: Hans Bredrup
hans.bredrup@affinityship.com
+56 99 887 3036
Contact: David Oakley
david.oakley@affinityship.com
+61 2 9937 8806
LNG
Our young and dynamic LNG team possess wide-ranging experience of spot and term charters working with all major LNG shipowners and charterers. The LNG team has close interaction with the Newbuilding and Sale & Purchase divisions with an unrivalled track record of contracting LNG newbuildings and in the sale and purchase of LNG assets.
We maintain up-to-date knowledge and an understanding of new technologies within the LNG sector to ensure that our clients can make the most suitable and cost-effective decisions on shipping solutions.
Contact: Joni Mackay
joni.mackay@affinityship.com
+44(0)20 3142 0133
Newbuilding
Our Newbuilding team has concluded over 500 newbuildings of all types, including LNGCs, FSRUs, drillships, crude tankers, product tankers and dry cargo vessels. We have contracted in all major newbuilding centres globally, with particular focus on the Korean Shipyards.
Contact: Nick Wood
nick.wood@affinityship.com
+44(0)20 3142 0111
Offshore
Affinity Offshore is based out of our Oslo and Houston offices. The Team focuses on world-wide sale & purchase of offshore support vessels, as well as chartering – particularly in the Americas and Mediterranean/MENA regions.
Contact: Tor-Øyvind Bjørkli
tob@affinityship.com
+47 2109 8211
Research
Our research department combines real time market information with econometric modelling and the latest technology.
Contact: Sevita Kondyliou
sevita.kondyliou@affinityship.com
+44(0) 788 006 2480
S & P
Our Sale & Purchase team has extensive experience of working with private clients, national shipping companies, major corporates, oil companies, grain houses and institutional investors. We provide a cradle to grave services across all shipping sectors. We operate from London, Singapore and Seoul to give 24-hour coverage of the markets, working for both newbuilding and second-hand buyers.
Contact: Toby English
toby.english@affinityship.com
+44(0)20 3142 0123
Tankers
Our established tanker chartering teams serve the industry from London, Houston and Santiago delivering a highly proficient spot chartering service with a prime position in the fuel oil market. The team has close relationships with oil majors, national oil companies, oil traders and major ship owners and operators.
Our ethos for operations and post-fixture is simple: these roles are as important to us as the chartering/commercial function, and we continue to apply those same principles of professional ship broking throughout the life of each fixture.
Contact: Tim Gurdon
tim.gurdon@affinityship.com
+44(0)20 3142 0142
Valuations
We provide transparent, objective ship valuation service to major owners, banks and other financial institutions at short notice and a daily basis. We provide a retainer service for regular fleet valuations.
Contact: Ben Pusey
ben.pusey@affinityship.com
+44(0)20 3142 0125
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