Gibson Shipbrokers has been through a transitional period in the past year, says managing director Nigel Richardson.

His choice of phrase, common among football managers, is perhaps apt, given the poaching of a team of 10 clean brokers by a cross-town rival and the reshaping of the dry cargo desk following the retirement of some respected pros.

Add in a historic change of ownership, the opening of a new dry cargo office in China and arguably the worst shipping crisis in decades, and Richardson has had plenty on his plate of late.