What Fearnleys does

Fearnleys A/S is a privately held Norwegian shipbroking company founded in 1869 in Oslo and operating as part of the Astrup Fearnley Group, owned since 2014 by the Hans Rasmus Astrup Foundation. The firm acts as an intermediary between shipping industry principals — ship owners, charterers, buyers, sellers, and builders — facilitating vessel sales, purchases, newbuilding contracts, and chartering (both voyage and time) across dry cargo, tankers, LPG, LNG, and RoRo segments. The business is organized into specialist desks (Fearngas, Fearntank, Fearnbulk, Fearnley RORO, Fearnley LNG, Fearnsale) with an in-house research unit, Fearnresearch, producing weekly market intelligence since the 1960s.

The company generates revenue primarily through transaction-based commissions calculated as a percentage of freight, hire, or purchase price on each fixture, plus fee-based Post-Fixture Services (claims, operational support) and Other Services (valuations, feasibility studies, market analyses). Services are delivered through a global network of approximately 16 offices spanning Oslo, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Dubai, Stockholm, Kuala Lumpur, Geneva, Bergen, São Paulo, and Athens, with 101-250 employees worldwide. Pricing is negotiated fixture-by-fixture with no exclusivity, and standard terms were updated effective 03 May 2024.

Fearnleys occupies a top-tier position among global shipbrokers, differentiated by its 155-year heritage, broad multi-segment coverage (including pioneer status in LNG and LPG/gas carrier markets), and a complementary group structure that includes Fearnley Securities (shipping capital markets) and Fearnley LNG Advisors (LNG consulting, established 2019). The technology stack described in available sources is limited to a broking platform supporting digital signatures and the Fearnresearch data publication portal; no AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or digital product surface beyond traditional broking workflows are documented.

Name

Fearnleys

Legal name

Fearnleys A/S

Website

https://fearnleys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1869

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fearnleys is a privately held Norwegian shipbroking firm founded in 1869 that intermediates vessel sale, purchase, chartering, and newbuilding transactions across dry cargo, tankers, LPG, LNG, and RoRo segments for ship owners, charterers, and financial institutions worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Broking Services Commission: Fees calculated as a percentage of freight, hire or purchase price for vessel sales, purchases, construction or charter contracts. Commission is payable on voyage charters (percentage of freight and demurrage), time charters (hire throughout charter duration), sale agreements (on delivery), and newbuilding contracts (as each stage payment is made).
2. Post-Fixture Services: Advice and assistance with communications and operational matters after a Fixture is concluded, including claims handling. Subject to specific fee agreements between client and company.
3. Other Services: Market research and studies, specific analyses, market recommendations, ship valuations, fleet structure studies, and feasibility studies. May be subject to specific provisions and additional fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Fearnleys operates as a traditional shipbroking firm acting as intermediary between principals (ship owners, charterers, buyers, sellers, and builders) to facilitate vessel sales, purchases, construction, and chartering fixtures. Services are provided on a Fixture-by-Fixture basis across LPG, tankers, dry cargo, RORO/car carriers, LNG, and newbuilding segments, supported by in-house market research and post-fixture operational advisory.

Product overview

Fearnleys is a shipbroking company offering a comprehensive suite of shipping-related services across multiple segments. The portfolio includes Fearngas (LPG), Fearntank (Tankers), Fearnbulk (Dry Cargo), Fearnley RORO (Roll-on/Roll-off), Fearnley LNG, Fearnsale (Sale & Purchase), and Newbuilding services, supported by Fearnresearch for market intelligence. Services span the full value chain from chartering to sale and purchase and newbuildings, with teams operating from 10 offices worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fearngas: Worldwide LPG team specializing in the carriage of LPG, ammonia, and petrochemical gases.
• Fearntank
• Fearnbulk
• Fearnley RORO
• Fearnley LNG
• Fearnsale
• Fearnresearch
• Fearnley LNG Advisors

Products and services

• Fearngas (LPG) Worldwide LPG shipbroking service covering carriage of LPG, ammonia, and petrochemical gases, ranging from VLGCs to local and coastal distribution networks. For ship owners, charterers, and gas carriers.
• Fearntank (Tankers) Tanker shipbroking and operations service for crude and product tankers, with proactive shipbrokers and operators based in Oslo, London, Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing.
• Fearnbulk (Dry Cargo) Global dry cargo shipbroking organization providing access to market opportunities and experienced advice in the dry cargo market, with desks strategically located across Oslo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mumbai and London.
• Fearnley RORO Roll-on/Roll-off and Car Carrier shipbroking service covering deep sea and short sea chartering, spot and period contracts, along with sale and purchase activities.
• Newbuilding Arrangement and monitoring of ship construction for all types of tonnage, including relationships with reputable shipyards worldwide and due diligence services for newbuilding projects.
• Fearnley LNG Advisory, consulting, and brokering services for LNG transportation and floating LNG solutions, with a global network across seven offices. Pioneer in gas carrier markets.
• Fearnsale (Sale & Purchase) Sale and purchase advisory for vessel acquisition and disposal, advising clients on fleet planning, transaction timing, financing, pricing, and technical and contractual terms, with worldwide service desks.
• Fearnresearch In-house shipping research and market intelligence service providing trade and fleet data, freight rate assessments, market reports on tankers, bulk carriers and gas carriers, and customized consultancy analyses. Active since the early 1960s.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Astrup Fearnley GroupcoreOthersParent company/group of companies. Fearnleys is part of the Astrup Fearnley Group which also includes Fearnley Securities (capital market financing services for maritime industry), and sister companies on the offshore side complementary to Fearnleys' coverage of conventional shipping segments. Ownership transferred to the Hans Rasmus Astrup Foundation in 2014.
• Fearnley SecuritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company within Astrup Fearnley Group providing stellar capability to finance shipping companies, fleets and single vessel projects. Fearnleys directs clients to Fearnley Securities for capital market services, creating a complementary service offering.
• Fearnley LNG AdvisorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished in 2019 as a new advisory business within the group, focusing on LNG advisory services to complement Fearnleys' LNG broking operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Poten & Partners: Poten & Partners is a leading LNG and LPG shipbroker and consultancy, overlapping directly with Fearnleys' Fearngas and Fearnley LNG franchises in the gas carrier markets.
• Clarkson PLC: Clarksons is the world's largest publicly listed shipbroker, offering identical chartering, sale & purchase, newbuilding, and research services across tankers, dry cargo, gas, and offshore — the most direct and largest comparable to Fearnleys.
• Braemar ACM (Braemar Plc): Braemar's shipbroking division (formerly ACM Shipping) competes directly with Fearnleys in tanker, dry cargo, and sale & purchase broking, with overlapping global office presence and similar institutional clients.
• Simpson Spence Young (SSY): SSY is a leading independent shipbroker with comparable global coverage across tankers, dry cargo, and offshore, competing head-to-head with Fearnleys in London and other major hubs.
• Gibson Shipbrokers: Gibson is a top global tanker-focused shipbroker with deep relationships in the tanker market that overlap directly with Fearnleys' Fearntank franchise.
• Howe Robinson Partners: Howe Robinson is an established London-based shipbroker offering chartering and sale & purchase across dry cargo and tankers, competing with Fearnleys in the European shipowner client base.
• Maersk Broker: Maersk Broker is the in-house but independent shipbroker of the Maersk group, providing tanker and dry cargo broking services that compete directly with Fearnleys' chartering desks globally.
• RS Platou (Pareto Maritime): RS Platou, now part of Pareto, is a Norwegian shipbroker with strong offshore and dry cargo coverage, competing with Fearnleys particularly in the Nordic and offshore-related chartering markets.

Emerging players

• Ardmore Shipping: While primarily a tanker owner/operator, Ardmore engages frequently with shipbrokers like Fearnleys for chartering and sale & purchase transactions, representing a typical principal-side counterparty rather than a direct competitor.
• Veson Nautical: Veson Nautical is a maritime software and data platform serving chartering, operations, and commercial workflows; it is an emerging disruptor to traditional shipbroking models like Fearnleys' rather than a direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fearnleys-as

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Fearnleys