Clarksons Platou expands UK renewables presence and adds research capacity

Clarksons has been providing services specifically to the offshore renewables market in the UK since 2004, culminating in the formation of a dedicated global division headed up by Frederik Colban-Andersen.

Due to what it described as “increasing demand from UK clients for a ‘top to bottom’ marine asset procurement service” covering all the stages involved with constructing an offshore windfarm, the broker has established a dedicated team based in Aberdeen which, together with the already established team in London, will focus on UK renewables and offer a local presence.

James Braid will be joining the team as divisional director, renewables following an internal move from Clarksons Port Services. He will have a particular focus on transportation and installation and brings with him experience in all aspects of project transportation, heavy lift and equipment logistics.

“I am delighted to be joining the Clarksons Platou Offshore team in the UK where I can refocus my skills gained from 20 years in the oil and gas logistics sector,” said Mr Braid.

“In recent years I’ve had more and more exposure to the renewables space in the movement of materials and equipment. The renewables market is only going to continue to grow as the world moves towards more sustainable and cleaner sources of energy and we at Clarksons look forward to streamlining that process with our collective experience.”

Going forward, Clarksons said it will provide its global portfolio of clients with a full project offering for offshore cargo transportation, installation and offshore logistics solutions catering to the EPCI contractors, OEMs and the developers. The team will offer bespoke solutions by combining its integrated shipping, offshore and consultancy expertise, while being supported by specific modules available within its digital shipping platform, www.sea.live.

Subsea divisional director Jonathan Lints will also be part of the UK renewables team, where a large percentage of his client base have already diversified their businesses to focus heavily on renewable energy projects.

Clarksons has also strengthened its renewables research team with the hire of Amanda Berland. Ms Berland recently graduated with an MSc from BI Norwegian Business School, focusing the master thesis on ESG trends and investments. During her studies, she worked part time within equity sales and trading at DNB Markets. She will be based in Clarksons’ Oslo office.

Clarksons managing director Aberdeen Paul Love said the company’s investment in digitalisation and market intelligence will help position Clarksons to support growth in renewables.

“While oil and gas will still play an important role for years to come, renewable energy is now the fastest-growing energy source and it is vital that we have our own dedicated expertise and resources to meet client demand,” he said.

“As a business, we have invested heavily in developing our own inhouse market intelligence and research tools, which perfectly complements the full service offering to our clients.”