ABOUT US
G I Tanker Services Ltd was formed in 2024 by Frank Gallagher and Chris Isherwood to provide a suite of commercial services to the shipping (tanker) and oil sectors. Frank and Chris have known each other professionally since the 1980’s while working in London. Blending their varied and extensive experience and knowledge in the industry enables GI Tanker Services to provide the very best service to their clients.
"Our word... our bond."
ABOUT US
G I Tanker Services Ltd was formed in 2024 by Frank Gallagher and Chris Isherwood to provide a suite of commercial services to the shipping (tanker) and oil sectors. Frank and Chris have known each other professionally since the 1980’s while working in London. Blending their varied and extensive experience and knowledge in the industry enables GI Tanker Services to provide the very best service to their clients.
"Our word... our bond."
MEET THE TEAM / FRANK GALLAGHER
Frank Gallagher is a highly experienced shipping executive, who spent nearly forty-five years in the business, most of them involving crude oil tanker chartering, and was a member of the Baltic Exchange for twenty-five years.
He started worked in shipping in 1971, joining Denholm ship management as a navigating cadet officer, after leaving school at St Aloyisius College Glasgow. A few years later, after training at sea and ashore at Glasgow Nautical College, he decided shore life was more to his liking.
Frank had spent two years physically sailing on the world’s oceans serving on different wet and dry vessels up to 110,000 dwt. The wet ships saw him load at ports in Nigeria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, with discharges in France, Brazil, Australia and Chile. The dry ships involved loading and discharging in many places including ports in Japan, Russia, Norway, Holland, Germany, Belgium, USA, Canada, and the UK
From Denholm’s, he joined Texaco Oil Company in London as a chartering and claims assistant. His sea-going experiences, not least having to work with and gain the confidence of crews from various parts of the world, helped him to quickly settle into his new role. It was the start of a long shore career.
Frank moved on from Texaco, to work with other of highly respected companies in London: Panocean-Anco (Chemical carriers), Davies and Newman (Shipbroking), Burmah (Oil company and ship-owners), and Galbraith’s (Shipbroking). Through this he has built an extensive knowledge of tanker business working practices
His areas of expertise include tanker chartering strategy from Owners’, Charterers’, and Brokers perspectives; freight negotiations; market analysis and forecasting; training and mentoring of shipbrokers. He has been actively involved in ‘fixing’ spot market, period and COA business throughout his career.
Frank also served for a time as Galbraith’s Director member of the London Tanker Brokers Panel (LTBP) for freight rate assessments and lectured at times on Galbraith’s internationally recognised shipping course which has been running for 50 years.
He has had many clients/connections but to name a few, Mobil, Texaco, Shell, Petroineos, Petroplus, Nynas, Coastal States, Niarchos, Bergesen, Viking Shipping, Globtik, Frontline, Tsakos, etc ,etc… .
Frank’s time at sea and in management positions has seen him deal with people at all levels, from school leavers to managers and their CEO’s, ship’s captains, chief engineers and many owning and broking representatives in countries around the world.
Ships Frank has sailed on;
MEET THE TEAM / CHRIS ISHERWOOD FICS FEI
Chris’s career spans over fifty years in the oil industry where he began as a Navigating Cadet and Third Mate sailing on the first generation of VLCC’s amongst a variety of other tonnage trading in crude and refined products world-wide.
Employing his practical knowledge gained at sea, and ashore in oil companies, independent ship owners, oil refiners and trading companies Chris developed considerable experience in chartering, shipping and oil operations, demurrage and claims desks in the UK, Switzerland and the U.S. Employment in a variety of businesses outside of the UK, including the U.S., Russian, Chinese and Swiss companies has provided a thorough understanding of the diverse cultures, custom and practises within the shipping and oil industries.
Until his retirement from PetroIneos Trading Ltd in 2021, Chris has been closely and actively involved with chartering in every sector of crude and products freight markets. Experience has been gained in fixing spot, time charter, COA’s, and Floating Storage Units of almost every type, size and sectors within crude oil, clean and dirty products markets. Diligence and clarity, particularly when fixing time charters, was one of Chris’s particular traits.
Chris has been involved in several incidents, managing the constructive total loss of the m.t. ‘Carabica’ (time-chartered) due to an explosion in the South China Sea which resulted in one fatality. In 2013, following an explosion that caused a fatality on board the m.t. ‘Harbour Krystal’ Chris led the crisis response team. Chris has been involved in commercial disputes during his career, representing both Owners and Charterers, on spot and time charter claims, primarily in arbitration but also High Court proceedings.
Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
Fellow of the Energy Institute
Member of the Baltic Exchange
Member of the Baltic Expert Witness Association
Member of the Expert Witness Institute
Ships Chris has sailed on;
