Deputy crown prince tops list of 10 most influential figures in oil and gas shipping
JEDDAH: Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has topped the Lloyd’s List of the 10 most influential figures in oil and gas shipping.
The deputy crown prince was followed in the Tankers Power List 2017 by Andreas Sohmen-Pao of BW Group, John Fredriksen of Fredriksen Group, Grahaeme Henderson of Shell Shipping & Maritime, John Angelicoussis of Angelicoussis Shipping Group, Yee Yang Chien of MISC, Sergey Frank of Sovcomflot, Junichiro Ikeda of Mitsui OSK Lines, Paddy Rodgers of Euronav and Xu Lirong of China Cosco Shipping
In determining the 10 most powerful figures this year, Lloyd’s List specialists gave each candidate a score of 1 to 10 in two metrics, “market weight” and “aura.”
In its editorial, Lloyd’s List said: “The changing dynamics in the tanker spectrum have been duly reflected in our annual list of the 10 most influential figures in oil and gas shipping.
“What remains unchanged is the status of Saudi Arabia, with its weight over global oil production and large national tanker fleet.”
With a market weight of 8.7/10, Lloyd’s List describes the deputy crown prince as “the power behind the executives.”
“The deputy crown prince holds (key) dynamics in his hands, hence his position among shipping’s elite power brokers,” it said. “On top of that, he oversees Saudi Arabia’s plans to make an initial public offering of shares in oil giant Saudi Aramco.”
The editorial concluded by stating that “Saudi Arabia is evidently on the cusp of major changes to its energy industry as the deputy crown prince forges ahead with modernization — changes that astute owners operating in the tanker industry would do well to monitor closely to keep a step ahead of the competition.”