London headquartered Freight Investor Services (FIS), a freight and commodity futures broker, has announced its acquisition of GR8 Chartering Hellas in Athens, Greece.
The acquisition will bring GR8 Chartering’s expertise in physical shipping into the FIS group and increase its presence in Greece, one of the shipping market’s key geographies.
FIS currently enjoys a dominant market share in the FFA market in dry freight and key bulk commodities and has been voted the top dry bulk broker for the past 12 years.
GR8 Chartering was founded in June 2023 as a broker for vessels for dry cargo of all sizes and provides market intelligence and insights, pricing, and consulting on negotiations, operations and maritime regulation. Its brokerage team in Athens will complement and enhance the existing FIS offering of derivatives in freight and commodities.
GR8 Chartering Hellas SA will soon be renamed to FIS Hellas SA, which will serve as FIS’s Greek office in the physical dry cargo chartering market, working closely with the existing dry cargo desks in Singapore, Shanghai, and India.
“It is an exciting time, in the middle of Posidonia, to be announcing our investment in a Greek shipping business. Greece’s long maritime history makes this deal very special and long may this continue in the future(s). GR8 Chartering are a dynamic and successful shipbroker, and we are pleased to be able to play a part in its future. We hope that this joining together of physical and futures expertise will be a fruitful partnership, with a particular focus on helping drive more volume in the Supramax and Handysize futures from physical players,” says John Banaszkiewicz, FIS CEO and Founder.
“We are thrilled about the expertise that John Banaszkiewicz and FIS can bring to our physical business. Our team’s hard work and commitment to delivering exceptional chartering services have been the cornerstone of our success. Joining Freight Investor Services is a fantastic opportunity to leverage their extensive 20-year industry expertise and resources, propelling our growth and service offerings to new heights. We’re immensely grateful for the support and trust of our clients, partners, and team members. Our commitment to delivering exceptional service remains unwavering as we continue to navigate the seas of dry cargo chartering. Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey so far! Here’s to many more successful ventures ahead at FIS Hellas S.A.” says Theo Vasilakis, GR8 Chartering Founding Partner.
Source: Freight Investor Services.
