Affinity (Shipping) LLP is due to make its debut on 1 January as Richard Fulford-Smith unrolls his new shipbroking entity following his split from Norwegian broker and Clarksons’ intended acquisition, RS Platou.

A limited liability partnership (LLP) has already been registered in London as the head company that will provide financial support and act as a trustee to a raft of sub-LLPs.

Fulford-Smith details that, at present, these are expected to number five and cover the sectors of energy and gas — including LNG, tankers, newbuildings and sale and purchase (S&P), dry cargo and research.

Each LLP will be represented in the head company, Affinity (Shipping), and run by the brokers who sit on those desks. They will also be shareholders in those companies.

Fulford-Smith envisages Affinity will have around 100 staff globally, with 60 based in London.

The rest of the team will be located in Australia, Singapore, China, South Korea and Houston in the US.

The larger-than-life broker admits that the whole birth of Affinity is something of “a moving feast” at present as Platou and UK-listed shipbroking giant Clarksons start trying to work out the details of the merger they announced last week.

But he does have some key developments already in his sights. Central to this is the creation of a research department, which will itself be a separate LLP.

Affinity has poached Braemar ACM’s former head of research Mark Williams, who joins the company in February, to head up the new research team, which is expected to number seven to eight people and be fully operational by the middle of next year.

Fulford-Smith says the company will take a completely different approach to its research, putting an analyst in each team and developing an apps-based system to provide live-streaming of physical and synthetic spot cargo and term business information.

On the tanker side, he expects to expand numbers to 10 to 12 staff by the end of the year, two of whom have already resigned from their current jobs.

The new company will be “doing things differently in Asia”, he adds, but details on this are still being finalised.

Affinity is likely to move into new UK premises for its expansion.

Fulford-Smith is a fan of one of London’s newest high-rise buildings — the “cheese grater”, as it is affectionately known in the capital.

But he also enjoys the current view from Tower 42 in the City and may consider staying put, as long as the office is not below the 30th floor.

Fulford-Smith is also clearly keeping a watchful eye on how the Platou/Clarksons merger talks unfold with a view to acquiring other personnel and business assets.

There will be some lingering connection to Platou ASA through an agreement under which the two companies will continue to co-operate for a period of time in certain sectors while they unscramble or complete deals they were working on together.

“We have the platform, we now have to build the base,” Fulford-Smith said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

(See also Wavelength, page 11.)