What McQuilling Partners, Inc. does

McQuilling Partners, Inc. is a privately held maritime brokerage and advisory firm founded in 1972 by Tom McQuilling and John DeSantis, headquartered in Garden City, New York, with 10 offices worldwide (Houston, Singapore, Dubai, Mumbai, Lima, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Madrid, Athens) and more than 160 team members. The firm operates a 360-degree marine transport platform spanning three core product lines: (1) shipbroking services covering tanker, chemical, and offshore chartering; vessel sale and purchase; and 24/7 voyage operations and post-fixture administration; (2) maritime data and research delivered through McQuilling Digital and the firm's research and analysis practice, which includes the 2026-2030 Tanker Market Outlook, daily/weekly/monthly market reports, and the Market View advisory; and (3) consulting and advisory services covering strategic planning, carbon advisory, market research, and capital advisory through the McQuiLink Capital sub-brand. Its proprietary data assets include freight rate assessments for approximately 500 dirty, clean, and chemical tanker trading routes, approximately 25,000 spot voyage fixture records annually, vessel daily status for tankers 27,500 Dwt and above, and ton-mile/ton-day data across five vessel classes.

The firm serves an enterprise customer base of global maritime shipping companies, US oil majors, US independents, national oil companies, international commodity trading firms, financial investors, terminal facilities, shipbuilders, and offshore wind developers, with named broker panel relationships at Shell, BP, Chevron, CPC (CNOOC Petrochemicals), Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, PTT, Petronas, Gunvor, Unipec, and Itochu. Revenue is generated through a mix of transaction-based brokerage commissions on chartering and vessel sales, recurring subscriptions for research and data products (annual and monthly), project-based fees for bespoke consulting, and subscription-based digital data services. Strategic subsidiaries extend the platform into adjacent verticals: Carbon Path Innovations (founded 2025) for maritime decarbonization, Blue Ocean Transfers for US Jones Act offshore wind support vessels, McQuilling Renewables for offshore wind advisory, and Ocean Solutions for product and commodities brokerage. The firm is privately held with no parent company and no disclosed institutional investor backing.

Name

McQuilling Partners, Inc.

Legal name

McQuilling Partners, Inc.

Website

https://mcquilling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

McQuilling Partners is a maritime brokerage and advisory firm with 50+ years of history, providing shipbroking, proprietary data intelligence, and consulting services to oil majors, NOCs, trading firms, and shipowners across 10 global offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Brokerage & Advisory Services

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Marine Cargo Handling (48832)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Tug Chartering, Brokerage & Dispatch Services (TLAHAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Offshore Support & Marine Logistics Vessel Operators (PSV/AHTS) (TLADABAL), Offshore Marine & Aviation Support (PSVs, AHTS, Crew Boats, Helicopters) (EUALABAJ), Marine & Boat Finance (FSAKADAH)

Keywords

• Maritime shipbroking services
• Tanker chartering brokerage
• Vessel sale purchase
• Maritime market research
• Shipping consulting advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Garden City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Research Reports & Market Outlook Products: Annual and recurring subscription services providing tanker market outlook forecasts, weekly and daily market reports, chemical fleet analysis, and specialized sector reports. Revenue is generated through annual subscriptions, premium subscriptions, and report-specific purchases.
2. Shipbroking & Freight Brokerage: Commission-based brokerage for chartering (spot and period), vessel sale and purchase, offshore chartering, and chemical chartering. Revenue is earned through transaction fees on concluded contracts daily across global tanker and chemical markets.
3. Consulting & Advisory Services: Bespoke advisory services including market research, strategic planning, logistics modeling, carbon advisory, and custom shipping seminars. Revenue generated through project fees and annual subscriptions for ongoing intelligence services such as Market View advisory.
4. Digital Data Services: Access to proprietary maritime data sets including freight rate assessments, TCE calculations, time charter rates, asset prices, demurrage rates, vessel daily status, fleet flux, and trade information sold as data packages or subscription services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

McQuilling Partners provides full-service shipbroking for tanker and offshore chemical chartering (spot and period), vessel sale and purchase (secondhand, newbuilding, demolition), and voyage operations and post-fixture administration supported by a 24/7 proprietary IT platform. The firm also sells subscription-based maritime research (annual Tanker Market Outlook, daily/weekly/monthly market reports) and proprietary digital data services (freight rate assessments, vessel status, fixture databases), complemented by bespoke consulting, carbon advisory, capital advisory, and offshore wind project services. Customers include oil majors, NOCs, international trading firms, vessel owners, and financial investors across 10 global offices.

Product overview

McQuilling Partners, Inc. is a maritime brokerage and advisory firm with over 50 years of industry experience offering a comprehensive suite of shipbroking, data, and consulting services. The company's core shipbroking division provides tanker and offshore chemical chartering, vessel sale and purchase, and operations and administration. Supporting this, McQuilling Digital delivers proprietary maritime data services including freight rate assessments, vessel positioning, and trade information. The company publishes a range of subscription research reports including the annual 2026-2030 Tanker Market Outlook and various daily, weekly, and monthly market reports. McQuilling's consulting arm offers strategic advisory, carbon advisory through Carbon Path Innovations subsidiary, and financing solutions via McQuiLink Capital. The company also operates Renewables and Blue Ocean Transfers subsidiary for offshore wind logistics. McQuilling maintains 10 global offices across New York, Houston, Athens, Dubai, Lima, Madrid, Mexico City, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro, and Singapore.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• McQuilling Digital: Digital maritime data services providing access to historical, real-time, and predictive marine intelligence datasets.
• McQuilling Consultancy & Advisory Services
• McQuilling Research & Analysis
• McQuilling Renewables
• Blue Ocean Transfers (BOT)
• McQuiLink Capital
• Market View Advisory

Quantifiable outcome

• 29th annual forecasting cycle for tanker freight rates, demonstrating long-standing analytical track record and market credibility.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SulNOx plccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Carbon Path Innovations (CPI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of McQuilling Partners, has partnered with SulNOx plc in the marketing of SulNOxEco, a revolutionary biodegradable fuel conditioning technology. McQuilling Partners has invested in SulNOx plc, underscoring its belief in the product and commitment to its future. SulNOxEco is designed to deliver more complete combustion, reduce emissions, and work seamlessly with any liquid hydrocarbon fuel without requiring retrofits.
• Vertis Environmental Finance Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the strategic partnership of McQuilling Partners Inc. and Vertis Environmental Finance Ltd., McQuilling helps customers throughout the shipping sector work toward meeting or exceeding net zero carbon targets, both on a voluntary and regulatory basis. Services include carbon offsetting solutions, environmental compliance (EU ETS/IMO), sustainability advisory, educational resources, and carbon credit procurement during freight negotiation.
• Rutgers University, Department of Industrial & Systems EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcQuilling (via Blue Ocean Transfers Group, LLC) partnered with Rutgers University's Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering on a study investigating the advancement of decarbonization of offshore Fast Support Vessels (FSVs). The collaboration developed probabilistic environmental conditions models, simulation models for FSV deployments, and financial analysis of vessel design alternatives.
• Incat CrowtherminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIncat Crowther collaborated with Blue Ocean Transfers Group (a McQuilling subsidiary) and Rutgers University on the FSV decarbonization study. Incat Crowther contributed vessel design expertise to the investigation of alternative energy sources for powering high-speed aluminum fast support vessels.
• Ocean SolutionscoreOthersOcean Solutions is an affiliate of McQuilling Partners operating under the Partners/Affiliates section of the McQuilling Group. Ocean Solutions uses McQuilling's global relationships to identify opportunities in different regions, pursue commercial opportunities from sourcing to delivery, and offer risk management solutions for physical commodities supply chains.
• Leeward Partners CapitalminorOthersListed as a McQuilling partner/affiliate under the Product & Commodities Brokerage section.
• Link Ventures CapitalminorOthersListed as a McQuilling partner/affiliate under the Product & Commodities Brokerage section.
• Windward Partners CapitalminorOthersListed as a McQuilling partner/affiliate under the Product & Commodities Brokerage section.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Clarkson PLC: Largest publicly listed shipbroker and integrated maritime services provider, offering shipbroking, research (Clarkson Research), and financial services across tankers, dry bulk, containers, offshore, and gas. Direct competitor across brokerage, chartering, S&P, and maritime data.
• Poten & Partners: Tanker-focused shipbroker and advisory firm with strong US presence, offering chartering, S&P, research, and consulting for crude, product, and chemical tankers. Closest like-for-like peer on the tanker brokerage and intelligence side.
• Simpson Spence Young (SSY): Major global shipbroker with deep tanker, dry bulk, and offshore coverage, plus research and advisory services. Directly comparable on the brokerage and tanker intelligence axis that defines McQuilling's core business.
• Fearnleys: Norwegian shipbroker and shipping services group with offshore, tanker, and dry cargo coverage plus research and consulting. Comparable global brokerage model with strong offshore vessel chartering overlap via McQuilling's offshore chartering product.
• Howe Robinson Partners: London-based shipbroker with offices across major shipping hubs, offering chartering, S&P, and project advisory across tankers and dry cargo. Directly comparable mid-size shipbroker competing for the same oil major and trading clients.
• Braemar ACM: Integrated shipbroking, technical, and financial advisory group covering tankers, dry cargo, sale and purchase, and offshore. Overlapping client base of oil majors, traders, and shipowners; comparable global office footprint and service mix.
• BRS Brokers (Barry Rogliano Salles): French-headquartered shipbroker with global coverage across tanker, dry, container, and gas segments; provides research and S&P advisory. Comparable international shipbroking franchise with similar advisory/data monetization pathways.

Emerging players

• Veson Nautical: Provider of maritime data, voyage management, and freight analytics software widely used by commodity traders and shipowners. Adjacent competitor on the data and workflow layer that McQuilling Digital targets.
• VesselsValue: Data-driven platform providing vessel valuations, freight rate analytics, and transaction data for the maritime industry. Competes with McQuilling Digital on the data/intelligence layer but does not offer full-service brokerage.

Broad incumbents

• S&P Global Platts: Broad commodity intelligence and price assessment provider with significant coverage of oil, bunker fuel, and freight. Competes with McQuilling Research on market intelligence subscriptions but as part of a much larger commodity data portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mcquilling-partners-inc-
• Xx.com/mcqpartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 McQuilling Partners, Inc.