Switerland- and UK-based shipbroker Ifchor Galbraith – which also acquired a stake in the Hamburg-based offshore broker GRS in 2023 – is continuing its expansion course with the takeover of Aries Shipping.
In 2022, the company was created in its current form through a merger; a year earlier, Ifchor had already joined the GRS Group from Hamburg. The takeover of Uno Offshore from Norway followed a year after the merger. Now the broker is taking a strategic step towards South America.
Ifchor has signed a definitive agreement to take over the Brazilian drybulk broker Aries Shipping. Aries Shipping was founded in 2005 and is based in Rio de Janeiro. The company is managed by Marcela Rosman and Bruna Moraes.
The move follows the opening of an IG office in Houston, which specializes in the US Jones Act tanker market, and is described as “part of a broader strategy to expand globally by building experienced local teams in high-growth regions”. South America is a growing market for commodity trading with an expanding port infrastructure and an increasing presence of local and foreign shipping companies.
IG Co-CEO Manu Ravano said: “To be successful in this dynamic region, shipowners and charterers need local expertise supported by international reach, in-depth research and state-of-the-art shipbroking systems. In Aries Shipping, we have found a partner who shares our customer-centric commitment and thinks beyond the transaction.” The company now has 25 offices worldwide.
Aries Shipping founder Marcela Rosman said she was “delighted to become part of the IG family”. There is an “inspiring vision for the future that we want to be part of. The growth of South American shipping is no longer just potential, it is already a reality. Brazil and South America as a whole are commodity-driven economies. Our local expertise, supported by IG’s reach and expertise, will help us to expand further and offer significant added value to our customers.”
