Fresh from scooping TradeWinds’ coveted Deal of the Year award for Navig8’s sale to Adnoc Logistics & Services, Gary Brocklesby is celebrating another much more important triumph.
The tanker group’s principal has earned a manager of the month prize in shipping’s fantasy football league, coming joint top for December in a field of more than 80 maritime executives, analysts and brokers.
League organiser Vivek Srivastava, an economist at Pacific Basin, said Brocklesby and Jake Gray from energy consultancy Worley were inseparable on 445 points last month.
“Interestingly, they achieved this in very different ways,” he explained.
Gray made only four transfers over the six games, instead relying on revolving his captaincy between big names such as Cole Palmer, Alexander Isak and Mo Salah to rack up the points.
“Gary was not quite so promiscuous with his captain’s armband, preferring to keep it faithfully on Salah most of the time (no bad strategy),” Srivastava said.
“But his festive period outperformance was driven by some bargainous presents under the Brocklesby household Christmas tree.”
The Navig8 man picked lesser lights Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Wolves attacker Matheus Cunha, who all performed well.
“What an eye for unearthing value,” Srivastava said.
Adnoc L&S paid $1.08bn for an 80% stake in UK-based product tanker operator Navig8, a deal that was completed this week.
The transaction added a modern fleet of 32 tankers to the Abu Dhabi-based shipping giant and expanded its service portfolio to include commercial pooling and bunkering.
“Gary was all over TradeWinds last month for winning their Deal of the Year accolade,” Srivastava added.
“I imagine they will also spend their prizemoney in very different ways. Jake will enjoy a civilised cocktail or two at one of Edinburgh’s many scenic rooftop bars.
“Gary will buy a camel burger in the souks of Dubai for the first trader at Navig8 who figures out how to (legally) clip a Cosco ship,” he joked.
The overall league leader at the halfway stage is Dipak Karki of FuelTrust, with Brocklesby moving up into third.
