Clarksons

What Clarksons does

Clarksons (legal name: Clarkson PLC) is a global maritime consultancy and shipping services provider founded in 1850 and headquartered at Commodity Quay, St Katharine Docks, London. Listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: CKN) as a FTSE 250 company, Clarksons operates through five integrated business lines: Broking (chartering, Forward Freight Agreement derivatives, sale & purchase, offshore, renewables), Financial (investment banking, securities, sales & trading, project finance, structured asset finance), Research (shipping intelligence, valuations, offshore and energy analysis), Port Services (agency, freight forwarding, bunkering, crew change), and Technology. The company serves four primary B2B segments — shipowners and shipping companies, commodity and energy traders, offshore energy and renewables developers, and port operators — across 70+ offices in 25 countries with 2,250+ employees.

Revenue is generated primarily through commission-based broking (transaction fees), subscription-based research services, and fee-based financial and port services, distributed through a sales-led, relationship-based go-to-market model staffed by dedicated specialist brokers. Following the £1.2 billion acquisition of Zuma Labs Limited in January 2026, Clarksons expanded its technology portfolio to include the Venetian hybrid voice and electronic trading platform for FFA and commodity markets, alongside the Prism AI-based intelligence tool; Zuma continues to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary under its own brand. Clarksons Research functions as the data and analytics arm, providing subscription products such as the Shipping Intelligence Network, World Fleet Register, ClarkSea Index, and Green Technology Tracker.

Clarksons also maintains a dedicated Green Transition service line covering alternative fuels, carbon broking, and emerging areas such as Liquified CO2 (LCO2) shipping, positioning the firm to capture advisory mandates linked to maritime decarbonization. The company holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification for information security management and reports no debt with £232m of available financial resources as of the latest reporting period.

Name

Clarksons

Legal name

Clarkson PLC

Website

https://clarksons.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Clarksons is a global maritime consultancy and integrated shipping services provider founded in 1850, offering broking, financial, research, port services, and technology solutions to shipowners, commodity traders, offshore energy firms, and port operators across 70+ offices in 25 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Shipping Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Ocean Freight Brokerage (FCL/LCL) (TLADAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spare Parts, Ship Chandlery & Logistics to Vessel (TLAHAJAF), Offshore Marine & Aviation Support (PSVs, AHTS, Crew Boats, Helicopters) (EUALABAJ)

Keywords

• Ship broking services
• Maritime financial services
• Shipping research analytics
• Port agency services
• Forward freight agreements

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ship Broking Services: Commission-based broking services across chartering, sale & purchase, and derivatives including FFA, covering dry cargo, tankers, gases, containers, offshore, and renewables sectors
2. Financial Services: Investment banking, securities, sales & trading, equity & credit research, shipping project finance, and structured asset finance services
3. Research Services: Shipping & trade research, offshore & energy analysis, energy transition insights, and vessel valuations provided to clients
4. Port Services: Port agency, project logistics, voyage agency, crew change, bunkering, customs, freight forwarding, terminal handling, and support base operations

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Clarksons is a global maritime consultancy providing integrated shipping services across five business lines: ship broking (chartering, sale & purchase, offshore, renewables, derivatives/FFA), financial services (investment banking, securities, project finance), maritime research and analytics, port services (agency, logistics, bunkering), and proprietary technology platforms (Venetian trading platform, Prism AI tool). Services are delivered to shipowners, charterers, commodity traders, offshore operators, and port operators through 70+ offices in 25 countries.

Product overview

Clarksons is a global maritime consultancy and shipping services provider offering an integrated ecosystem of services across five business lines: Broking (chartering, derivatives, sale & purchase, offshore, renewables), Financial (securities, structured asset finance, project finance), Research (shipping intelligence, valuations, offshore & energy analysis), Port Services (agency, freight forwarding, bunkering, crew change), and Technology. Following the £1.2 billion acquisition of Zuma Labs Limited in January 2026, Clarksons expanded its technology portfolio to include Venetian (a hybrid voice and electronic FFA trading platform) and Prism (an AI-based intelligence tool). Clarksons Research serves as the data and analytics arm, offering products like the ClarkSea Index, Shipping Intelligence Network, World Fleet Register, and Green Technology Tracker. The company operates globally with 2,250+ employees across 70+ offices in 25 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clarksons Research: Data and analytics arm of Clarksons, providing independent data and intelligence around shipping, trade, offshore and maritime energy transition.
• Clarksons Capital
• Clarksons Futures Limited
• Gibb Group

Products and services

• Ship Broking Services Commission-based broking services across chartering (deep sea tankers, dry cargo, gases, containers, specialised products, towage and salvage, car carriers, government agencies), offshore (support vessels, subsea, rigs, field development, accommodation), renewables (offshore shipbroking, transport and installation, marine advisory, Vessel iQ), derivatives (Dry FFA, Wet FFA, Iron Ore, LNG/LPG, Fuel Oil, Battery Metals, Carbon Broking, Container FFA, Renewables Derivatives), and sale and purchase. Services target shipowners, charterers, and commodity traders.
• Financial Services Investment banking, securities, sales and trading, equity and credit research, shipping project finance, structured asset finance, real estate project finance, and fund management services for maritime clients. Delivered via Clarksons Capital and Clarksons Futures Limited subsidiaries.
• Clarksons Research Subscription-based research and analytics arm providing shipping and trade research, offshore and energy analysis, energy transition insights, and vessel valuations. Covers millions of data points daily and delivers market intelligence across the global maritime industry.
• Port Services Professional port and maritime logistics services including port agency, project logistics, voyage agency, crew change, bunkering, customs clearance, freight forwarding, terminal handling, and support base operations. Delivered to port operators, terminal operators, and maritime logistics providers worldwide.
• Venetian Trading Platform A hybrid voice and electronic trading application powered by AI technology for Forward Freight Agreement (FFA) and commodities markets. Offers real-time pricing data and liquidity management to FFA market participants. Acquired via the £1.2 billion Zuma Labs acquisition.
• Prism AI Intelligence Tool An AI-based intelligence tool integrated with the Venetian platform, providing advanced market intelligence, knowledge retrieval, and predictive analytics capabilities for FFA and commodities trading.
• Shipping Intelligence Network Subscription-based data platform providing shipping intelligence and analytics to maritime industry subscribers.
• World Fleet Register Fleet data platform providing comprehensive vessel and fleet information to maritime clients.
• ClarkSea Index A weighted average index of earnings for main vessel types, with weighting based on the number of vessels in each fleet sector, used as a benchmark for shipping market performance.
• Vessel iQ Vessel and marine market intelligence tool for offshore and renewables operations.
• Green Technology Tracker Research tool tracking alternative fuel uptake and investments in energy saving technologies across the global shipping fleet.
• LCO2 Shipping Service Green Transition service offering focused on shipping of liquified CO2 (LCO2), delivered by Clarksons' expanded Green Transition team under a project-focused approach.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Zuma Labs LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Clarksons acquired 100% of Zuma Labs Limited, a technology provider specializing in FFA and commodities markets. Zuma will continue operating under its own brand as a wholly owned subsidiary of Clarksons. The acquisition is aimed at accelerating Venetian's market expansion and AI-enabled technology adoption across FFA, commodity, and maritime markets.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Poten & Partners: Specialist tanker and LNG broker with significant project finance capability. Overlaps with Clarksons' tanker chartering, S&P and project finance franchises.
• Braemar (Braemar ACM): Direct shipbroking competitor covering tankers, dry cargo, offshore, and sale & purchase, with a similar relationship-driven model and global office network. Closest like-for-like peer in maritime services.
• Simpson Spence Young (SSY): London-based shipbroking group with deep tanker, dry cargo and offshore franchises, plus research. Direct competitor across Clarksons' core chartering and S&P business.
• Fearnleys: Norwegian shipbroker with strong offshore, tanker and renewables exposure. Comparable in geographic footprint (Nordics) and segment coverage, particularly in offshore and gas shipping.
• BRS Group (Barry Rogliano Salles): International shipbroking group with tanker and dry cargo specialism. Competes directly with Clarksons in chartering and sale & purchase across major shipping hubs.
• Howe Robinson Partners: London-based shipbroking group active in containers, tankers and dry cargo. A direct competitor in chartering and S&P, particularly in the containership market.
• Maritime Strategies International (MSI): Maritime research and consultancy arm that competes with Clarksons Research on shipping market intelligence and forecasting for shipowners, financiers and operators.
• Drewry Maritime Research: Independent maritime research and consulting firm covering shipping, ports, and supply chains. Comparable to Clarksons Research on subscription intelligence and advisory services.

Emerging players

• AXSMarine: Shipping software and data provider offering vessel databases, freight rate tools and analytics. Overlaps with Clarksons Research / World Fleet Register but as a software-led, narrower-scope competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Baltic Exchange (Singapore Exchange): Owns benchmarks (Baltic Dry Index, Baltic Capesize Index) and freight derivatives marketplace. Comparable as a market infrastructure and information provider serving shipbrokers, including Clarksons' own FFA desks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ClarksonsGlobal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@clarksonsglobal7987
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clarksons

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A8 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clarksons