Shipping & Freight
Shipping & Freight Recruitment & Executive Search
Specialist retained search across global shipping, freight and maritime commodity markets.
Shipping sits at the centre of physical commodity trading.
Dry bulk carriers move iron ore, coal, grains and fertilizers between producing and consuming markets. Tankers connect crude oil, refined products and chemical supply chains. LNG and LPG carriers support international gas markets, while container vessels move everything from manufactured goods to coffee, cocoa, edible nuts and other higher-value agricultural commodities.
Around those vessels sits a much wider commercial market. Shipbrokers, charterers, freight traders, FFA brokers, operators, demurrage analysts, marine insurers, terminal businesses and vessel investors all play different roles in turning a physical cargo requirement into a completed voyage.
Those markets are closely connected, but the talent within them is highly specialised. A Capesize broker, MR charterer, LNG operator and freight-derivatives trader may all work in shipping, yet their cargo exposure, counterparties, vessel knowledge and commercial networks can be completely different.
Imperium Commodity Search works internationally across the commercial side of shipping and freight, supporting businesses involved in physical commodities, vessel chartering, shipbroking, freight markets, maritime assets and the execution of international trade.
Our work ranges from experienced specialists through to Heads, Directors and C-suite appointments across trading houses, shipowners, operators, brokerage businesses, infrastructure groups and other organisations active in global shipping.
We map the market behind the job title: vessel class, cargo exposure, freight market, routes, counterparties and the commercial responsibility somebody has actually held.
Shipping & Freight Markets
Specialist coverage across vessels, freight, brokerage and maritime trade.
Shipping markets are usually defined by a combination of cargo, vessel class and commercial function.
Some professionals build their careers around one physical market, such as dry bulk, crude tankers or LNG. Others sit across those markets through shipbroking, chartering, vessel investment, freight derivatives or the operational execution of physical trades.
Imperium’s shipping work follows those distinctions. Each market below links to a specialist page covering the commercial structure, major participants, talent pools and roles we search for internationally.
Dry Bulk Shipping
Specialist dry bulk recruitment and executive search across chartering, shipbroking, freight trading, commercial operations and physical markets from Handysize through to Capesize.
Tanker Shipping
Tanker recruitment and retained search across crude oil, refined products, chemicals, chartering, shipbroking, freight trading and commercial shipping operations.
LNG & LPG Shipping
Specialist gas shipping recruitment across LNG, LPG, VLGC markets, chartering, shipbroking, commercial operations and senior maritime leadership.
Container & Liner Markets
Container shipping recruitment across liner commercial, pricing, trade management, key accounts, network planning, freight and international container markets.
Shipbroking
Shipbroking recruitment and executive search across dry cargo, tanker, gas, S&P, freight derivatives and specialist international brokerage desks.
Chartering
Chartering executive search across owner-side and cargo-side shipping, dry bulk, tanker, gas, freight management and senior commercial leadership.
Vessel Investment
Vessel investment recruitment across sale & purchase, newbuildings, fleet strategy, maritime assets, corporate development and shipping investment.
Freight Derivatives & FFAs
Freight derivatives headhunting across FFA trading, broking, options, physical freight, risk management and dry bulk and tanker markets.
Ports & Terminals
Senior ports and terminals recruitment across commercial leadership, terminal management, infrastructure investment, asset management, strategy and development.
Shipping Operations, Claims & Demurrage
Shipping operations recruitment across traffic, demurrage, claims, contract administration, trade documentation, marine insurance and senior leadership.
Marine Fuels & Bunkering
Marine fuels headhunter across bunker trading, fuel supply, procurement, physical oil markets, alternative fuels and commercial leadership.
Ship Sizes & Vessel Classes
A practical guide to commercial vessel classes, capacities, cargoes and trading markets across dry bulk, tanker, gas and container shipping.
How Shipping & Freight Markets Fit Together
Cargo, vessels, freight and infrastructure are commercially inseparable.
Shipping is divided into specialist markets, but the economics constantly overlap.
A grain cargo may begin with a trader looking for Panamax tonnage. A refinery may need an MR tanker programme. An LNG portfolio manager may be balancing physical cargo commitments against vessel availability months ahead. In each case, the cargo creates the requirement, but freight, vessel position, port access and contractual terms determine how it can actually move.
Understanding those connections is often as important as understanding the individual vessel market.
Shipping & Vessel Markets
Dry Bulk · Tankers · LNG & LPG · Containers
The cargo usually determines the starting point.
Iron ore, grains and coal create very different requirements from crude oil, refined products, LNG or containerised agricultural commodities. Vessel design, cargo capacity, terminal compatibility and trade routes then create distinct freight markets around them.
That is why commercial experience tends to develop around particular vessel classes and cargoes rather than shipping in general.
Chartering & Shipbroking
Chartering · Shipbroking · Freight Markets
Every physical movement requires somebody to bring the cargo and vessel together.
Charterers manage freight exposure from the owner or cargo side, while shipbrokers connect counterparties, track vessel positions and negotiate fixtures across their specialist markets.
Relationships matter heavily here. A broker or charterer may spend years building a network around one vessel segment, geography or group of commodity companies.
Freight Derivatives & Risk
FFAs · Options · Freight Risk · Hedging
Physical freight also has a forward market.
FFAs and freight options allow shipowners, commodity traders and other market participants to manage future freight exposure or take a view on where rates are heading.
The strongest freight-derivatives professionals usually understand the physical market behind the curve. Vessel supply, cargo demand, route disruption and positioning still determine what the paper market is ultimately pricing.
Vessel & Fleet Investment
Sale & Purchase · Newbuildings · Fleet Renewal · Asset Investment
The ships themselves sit within another commercial market.
Owners and investors decide when to acquire second-hand tonnage, commission new vessels, sell assets or reposition fleets around changing commodity flows and regulation.
Those decisions can influence freight markets for years. A large ordering cycle increases future vessel supply, while limited investment or accelerated scrapping can tighten particular segments.
Ports & Terminals
Ports · Terminals · Storage · Marine Infrastructure
Ships only work where the infrastructure around them can support the trade.
Draught, berth capacity, storage, loading rates, cranes, pipelines and inland connections all influence which vessels can call and how efficiently cargo can move.
Ports and terminals also compete commercially for customers, throughput and investment. As vessel sizes and trade routes change, infrastructure has to change with them.
Operations, Claims & Trade
Traffic · Demurrage · Contracts · Documentation · Marine Insurance
A fixture is only the beginning of the voyage.
Traffic operators and commercial operations teams coordinate vessels, terminals, cargoes and third-party logistics. Contract administrators manage bills of lading, letters of credit, insurance documents and other requirements behind physical trade.
Delays and contractual disagreements then create work for demurrage, claims and marine-insurance teams. Small execution details can have a direct financial consequence long after the freight has been agreed.
Different Functions. One Commercial Chain.
A shipbroker, charterer, vessel investor and demurrage analyst may work in very different parts of the market.
They are still dealing with different stages of the same commercial movement: a cargo needs to move, the right vessel has to be found, freight has to be priced, the voyage has to be executed and the contractual position has to be settled.
That common structure is what allows Imperium to work across Shipping & Freight while still treating each specialist market on its own terms.
Every Cargo Has a Voyage. Every Voyage Has a Market.
Who We Search for Across Shipping & Freight
Commercial talent across physical shipping, freight and maritime markets.
Our searches span the commercial functions that sit around vessels, cargoes and freight.
The exact experience required varies by market, but the strongest candidates usually bring a clear combination of cargo knowledge, vessel exposure, counterparties, geography and commercial responsibility.
Chartering & Freight Trading
Owner-side and cargo-side charterers, freight traders and commercial managers responsible for vessel employment, freight exposure and physical cargo movements.
Typical searches include:
Charterer · Senior Charterer · Freight Trader · Chartering Manager · Head of Chartering · Global Head of Freight
Shipbroking
Brokers across dry bulk, tanker, LNG, LPG, sale & purchase and freight derivatives, from established producing brokers through to desk and business leadership.
Typical searches include:
Shipbroker · Senior Broker · S&P Broker · FFA Broker · Desk Head · Managing Director · Partner · Head of Desk
Trade Operations & Execution
Professionals responsible for executing physical trades and voyages across shipping, terminals, storage and third-party logistics.
Typical searches include:
Traffic Operator · Shipping Operator · Trade Operator · Operations Manager · Head of Operations · COO
Claims, Demurrage & Contracts
Specialists handling laytime, demurrage, charter-party claims, documentary execution and the contractual detail behind physical shipping.
Typical searches include:
Demurrage Analyst · Claims Manager · Contract Administrator · Head of Contracts · Head of Claims · Global Operations Director
Freight Derivatives & Risk
Commercial professionals working across FFAs, freight options, hedging, market risk and the relationship between physical and paper freight markets.
Typical searches include:
FFA Trader · Freight Derivatives Broker · Risk Manager · Head of Freight Risk · Head of Derivatives
Vessel Investment & Strategy
Investment and strategy professionals responsible for fleet development, vessel transactions, newbuildings, portfolio decisions and maritime assets.
Typical searches include:
Investment Director · S&P Manager · Fleet Strategy Director · Corporate Development Director · Head of Investments
Ports, Terminals & Infrastructure
Senior commercial and asset leaders across terminal operators, port groups and maritime infrastructure businesses.
Typical searches include:
Commercial Director · Terminal Director · Managing Director · Country Head · Asset Director · Infrastructure Investment Director
Executive & Functional Leadership
Senior appointments where shipping knowledge needs to sit alongside wider responsibility for people, P&L, strategy or international growth.
Typical searches include:
Managing Director · Chief Commercial Officer · Chief Operating Officer · Regional Head · Business Unit Director · CEO
Market Experience Matters Behind the Title
Two people can hold the same title and have worked in completely different shipping markets.
A charterer may specialise in Capesize iron ore, MR products or LNG. An operations professional may have spent their career executing physical grain trades, crude cargoes or containerised commodities.
That is why our searches are built around the market experience behind the CV, rather than the title alone.
From Cargo Requirement to Completed Voyage
Shipping connects physical trade with freight, execution and contractual settlement.
A commercial voyage begins with a cargo requirement and ends only when the movement, documentation and financial position have been completed.
The businesses involved may change at each stage, but the same voyage can pass through traders, charterers, brokers, shipowners, terminals, operators, banks, insurers and claims teams before it is fully closed.
Cargo & Trade Requirement
The process starts with a physical requirement.
A commodity trader, producer, refiner or industrial buyer may need to move grain, iron ore, crude oil, refined products, gas or another cargo between two markets.
Parcel size, loading dates, terminals and contractual delivery terms begin to define the vessel and freight options available.
Freight & Vessel Market
Charterers and brokers assess the vessels capable of performing the movement.
Vessel class, position, open date, port restrictions, voyage duration and competing cargoes all influence the freight rate available in the market.
The physical freight decision ultimately brings the cargo requirement and vessel supply together.
Freight Risk & Hedging
Freight exposure does not always remain entirely physical.
Forward Freight Agreements, freight options and other derivatives allow shipowners, commodity traders and freight desks to hedge future transport costs, protect margins or take a market position.
The hedge may be established before or after the physical vessel is fixed.
Fixture & Contract
Once commercial terms are agreed, the vessel is fixed.
The charter party records the responsibilities of owner and charterer, including freight, laytime, loading and discharge obligations, vessel performance and other contractual terms.
Those terms continue to influence the commercial outcome throughout the voyage.
Voyage & Trade Execution
Operations teams turn the fixture into a completed physical movement.
They coordinate vessels, terminals, agents, storage, inspection companies and third-party logistics while managing the documentation required by the underlying commodity trade.
Weather, congestion, vessel performance and changing cargo schedules can all affect execution.
Settlement, Claims & Insurance
The commercial work frequently continues after discharge.
Freight invoices, demurrage calculations, claims, bills of lading, letters of credit and insurance documentation may still need to be completed, negotiated or disputed.
Claims teams, marine insurers and contractual specialists become particularly important when the voyage has not performed as expected.
One Voyage, Several Interconnected Markets
A physical cargo can create exposure across commodity trading, chartering, shipbroking, freight derivatives, operations, contracts, demurrage and insurance before the trade is finally closed.
That is why these functions make more sense when viewed as part of the same commercial chain rather than as isolated areas of shipping.
The vessel moves the cargo, but an entire market sits around the voyage.
perfect next Shipping & Freight Talent Across Global Markets
Commercial shipping talent clusters around major commodity, freight and maritime centres.
Shipping is international by nature, but particular markets develop deeper pools of specialist talent around trading houses, shipowners, brokers, ports and financial centres.
For recruitment, geography matters most when it is considered alongside the cargoes, vessel classes and commercial functions somebody has actually worked with.
APAC
Singapore · Hong Kong · Shanghai · Tokyo · Seoul · Sydney
Singapore sits at the centre of one of the world’s deepest commercial shipping markets, supported by major talent pools across China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Australia.
The region is particularly strong across shipbroking, chartering, dry bulk, tanker, LNG, container shipping, freight derivatives and maritime investment.
Africa
Cape Town · Durban · Johannesburg · Lagos · Cairo · Abidjan
African shipping markets are closely tied to exports of minerals, energy and agricultural commodities, alongside substantial import flows and growing port infrastructure.
Commercial talent is spread across regional centres rather than concentrated in one dominant shipping hub, with relevant experience across dry bulk, tanker markets, commodity operations, ports and regional commercial leadership.
UK & Europe
London · Geneva · Athens · Oslo · Copenhagen · Hamburg · Rotterdam
Europe contains several distinct but closely connected maritime centres.
London remains important across shipbroking, FFAs, marine insurance and maritime finance. Athens and Oslo bring major shipowning communities, while Geneva, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Rotterdam support deep pools of chartering, commodity freight and commercial shipping talent.
US & Canada
Houston · New York · Stamford · New Orleans · Vancouver · Montreal
North American shipping markets sit close to some of the world’s largest energy, agricultural and industrial commodity flows.
Houston is particularly important across energy and tanker markets, while Stamford and New York support trading and freight functions. Vancouver, Montreal and New Orleans connect substantial dry bulk and agricultural export markets with international shipping.
LATAM
São Paulo · Rio de Janeiro · Santos · Buenos Aires · Santiago · Panama
Latin America generates major international freight flows across iron ore, grains, sugar, crude oil, refined products and other commodities.
Brazil is particularly important across dry bulk, tanker and commodity freight, while Argentina and Chile add agricultural and mining exposure and Panama sits alongside one of global shipping’s most important waterways.
Middle East
Dubai · Abu Dhabi · Fujairah · Doha · Saudi Arabia · Gulf Markets
The Gulf has developed into a major centre for physical commodity trading, shipping, ports and maritime infrastructure.
Dubai provides a substantial regional commercial base, while Fujairah and the wider UAE are particularly important across tanker markets, bunkering, terminals and marine services.
International Markets Require International Search
A strong candidate may be based far from the cargo or vessels they ultimately manage.
Commercial desks in Singapore, Geneva, London, Dubai or Houston can be responsible for freight and physical movements across several continents.
Our searches therefore combine geography with vessel class, cargo exposure, counterparties and commercial responsibility, rather than treating everybody within one shipping centre as part of the same talent pool.
How We Support Shipping & Freight Businesses
Search models built around the seniority, complexity and urgency of the hire.
Shipping mandates vary considerably. Some require a tightly mapped retained search for one senior appointment, while others involve repeat hiring across a desk, team or international business.
As commodity and shipping vertical experts, Imperium’s search models are designed around the market being hired from and the level of access required.
Retained Search
For critical individual appointments where the market needs to be mapped thoroughly and approached confidentially.
Particularly suited to senior commercial, specialist and leadership hires where the strongest candidates may not be actively looking.
Search Partnership
For businesses making multiple hires across a function, desk, geography or period of growth.
A longer-term partnership gives us a deeper understanding of the team, market and talent landscape while maintaining a consistent search approach across several appointments.
Imperium Edge
For organisations that want a broader view of the market before, during or alongside a hiring process.
Imperium Edge can support talent mapping, competitor intelligence, succession planning and a clearer understanding of where specialist shipping talent sits internationally.
Team Moves
For businesses looking to hire established teams, desks or groups of professionals rather than one individual at a time.
This can be particularly relevant across shipbroking, freight trading, chartering and other relationship-led markets where commercial value may sit across an established group.
Start With What You Are Trying to Build
The vessel class, geography and type of hire all matter.
So does the scale of the ambition.
The search strategy should follow.
Shipping & Freight Search, Built Around the Market
Specialist markets need more than a broad recruitment network.
Imperium Commodity Search works internationally across chartering, shipbroking, freight trading, shipping operations, derivatives, vessel investment, ports and marine insurance, supporting businesses involved in the commercial movement of physical commodities.
Our work is selective. We deliberately limit the number of clients we represent within a specialist market at one time, giving us the freedom to map the relevant businesses properly, approach passive talent discreetly and spend our time on the people most relevant to the mandate.
Across Shipping & Freight, that means understanding the market behind the requirement: vessel class, cargo exposure, trade routes, counterparties, geography and the commercial responsibility somebody has actually held.
For Clients
Whether you are hiring an individual shipbroker, charterer, freight trader or demurrage specialist, or building a broader commercial shipping capability, we search beyond the obvious candidate pool.
We map the relevant owners, operators, trading houses, brokers, infrastructure businesses and specialist market participants, then approach the people whose experience genuinely fits the requirement.
For Professionals
We do not operate as a high-volume vacancy business.
Much of our work involves confidential retained searches, and many of the people we speak with are performing well where they already are.
If your career sits within chartering, shipbroking, freight trading, FFAs, shipping operations, traffic, claims, demurrage, marine insurance, vessel investment, ports or wider commercial leadership, we are always open to a sensible confidential conversation about the market and where your experience could fit.
Explore Agriculture by Product
Dry Bulk Shipping · Tanker Shipping · LNG & LPG Shipping · Container Shipping & Liner Markets · Shipbroking · Chartering · Vessel Investment · Freight Derivatives & FFAs · Ports & Terminals · Shipping Operations, Claims & Demurrage · Ship Sizes & Vessel Classes · Marine Fuels
