Post Fixture Operator (Tankers)
Location: London (office-based)
Level: Operations
Type: Full-time, permanent
I'm recruiting an experienced Tanker Operator (Post-Fixture) on behalf of a well-regarded shipbroking house with an active tanker desk in London. The client is confidential at this stage, but I'm happy to talk it through properly with anyone who looks like a fit.
This is a genuine post-fixture seat on a busy desk, not an admin role. You'd own the fixture from the moment the broker steps back, through to the last invoice being settled.
What you'd be doing
Once the deal is done, it's yours. You'll circulate and chase the clean recap, then follow the fixture through to completion, keeping brokers and both principals updated on vessel movements, ETAs, and anything developing that they need to know about before it becomes a problem.
Day to day that means managing the flow of documents between owner and charterer, voyage orders, B/Ls, NOR, SOF, ullage and pumping logs, cargo docs and keeping it all filed and traceable. It means chasing outstanding items so nothing stalls, and it means spotting off-hire, deviation, shortage or contamination issues early and escalating them to the broker or principal.
You'll also be:
- Preparing and checking laytime calculations, and drafting or vetting demurrage claims for the principal the desk represents
- Tracking claims through to settlement, flagging disputes before they harden
- Raising and chasing freight/hire, issuing and collecting the desk's commission invoices, and following up on late payment
- Reconciling what's owed and keeping the numbers clean
What the client is looking for
2–6+ years in shipping, ideally post-fixture or operations within a brokerage. They'll also look seriously at operators from the owner or charterer side who want to move across into broking.
Beyond that:
- Charter party knowledge that holds up under pressure - SHELLVOY, ASBATANKVOY and BPVOY on the spot side, SHELLTIME for period, and a real grasp of which clauses drive laytime, demurrage and documentation
- Enough Worldscale and voyage-economics literacy to sanity-check figures rather than just pass them on
- Compliance awareness - sanctions, KYC/AML and price cap, plus familiarity with how vetting status (SIRE/OCIMF, CDI) affects a fixture
- Systems - comfort with laytime/ops software such as Veson/IMOS or similar, the Baltic Exchange, Worldscale tables, Q88 and AIS tracking
- Strong numeracy and meticulous attention to detail. Errors in laytime, quantities or invoices cost money, and everyone on the desk knows it
- An understanding of how a broking desk actually earns - the operator protects the fixture and, ultimately, the commission
Maritime or shipping education and a seagoing background are a plus but not essential. ICS qualifications are welcome.
The person who does well here
Calm and methodical when several fixtures are live at once. A strong, consistent communicator, the operator is the glue between broker, owner, charterer and agents, and the desk feels it immediately when that link is weak. Reliable, proactive and discreet, and comfortable being contactable in a 24/7 market.
What's on offer
A competitive salary and package, benchmarked to experience, plus the discretionary bonus structure you'd expect from an established London desk. I'll share the specifics on a call.