Hull Blyth

Name

Hull Blyth

Legal name

Hull Blyth & Co Ltd

Website

https://hull-blyth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1840

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hull Blyth is a privately held, British-owned ship agency founded in the 1840s that provides vessel agency, liner, tramp, offshore energy, project cargo, logistics, crew change, and landside services through owned offices in Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa for ship owners, liner principals, oil majors, and offshore operators across Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ship Agency and Maritime Logistics Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLAHAJAB

Vessel Husbandry & Crew Services (Crew Change, Meet & Assist, Transport, Shore Passes)

Transportation & Logistics/Ports, Terminals & Maritime Services/Ship Agency, Husbandry & Port Call Services

SECONDARYTLAHAJAF

Spare Parts, Ship Chandlery & Logistics to Vessel

Transportation & Logistics/Ports, Terminals & Maritime Services/Ship Agency, Husbandry & Port Call Services

Keywords

• Ship agency services
• Port logistics
• Marine agency
• Vessel husbandry
• Container depot operations

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ship Agency Services: Core revenue from providing ship agency services to vessel owners, operators, and charterers across multiple vessel categories including Liner, Tramp, Crude/Gas Tankers, Offshore/Energy, Ro-Ro, Navy, and Break-Bulk sectors. Services include port coordination, customs clearance, disbursement accounts, and protective agency services.
2. Landside Services (HBX Brand): Operation of inland container depots for full and empty containers under the HBX brand, providing safe transfer to/from ports, secure storage, and added value delivery services for merchants and shipping lines.
3. Logistics Services: Comprehensive logistics including clearing and forwarding at ports and airports, warehousing and storage, door-to-door services, haulage by road and waterway, and customized reporting with KPI-driven project execution.
4. Crew Change Services: Safe and secure crew change services including visa applications, Ok to Board messages, meet and greet, flight booking, hotel services, medical services, and temporary work permits.
5. Ships Spares Delivery: Logistical support for clearing and forwarding ships spares, air/sea freight consolidation, and transportation to ports and offshore locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hull Blyth is a specialist ship agency and logistics provider operating across Africa, delivering comprehensive vessel agency services (liner, tramp, crude/gas tankers, offshore/energy, Ro-Ro, navy, OPA, break-bulk) through its own offices in Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa. The company supplements core ship agency with landside container depot services (HBX brand), crew change, project cargo, temporary importation, ships spares delivery, and hub agency coordination for global port calls.

Product overview

Hull Blyth is a specialist ship agency and logistics provider offering a comprehensive suite of maritime services across Africa. The portfolio centers on core ship agency services (covering liner, tramp, tankers, offshore energy, navy, and OPA segments) supported by complementary operational services including logistics, landside services (HBX brand for container depots), crew changes, and project cargo handling. Services are delivered through own offices in Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa, with hub agency coordination for global port call coverage. The company does not offer a unified software platform but provides service-specific offerings tailored to the maritime industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ship Agency (Vessel Agency) Core ship agency services for vessel owners and operators covering liner, tramp, crude/gas tankers, offshore energy, OPA, break-bulk, heavy lift, survey, car carriers, cable and pipe lay, and navy vessels. Provides port coordination, customs clearance, disbursement accounts, and protective agency services.
• Liner Agency Multi-principal agency services for deep-sea liner principals managing containerized trade to and from Ghana and Nigeria, including quayside operations, off-dock services, and administrative support.
• Tramp Agency
• Break Bulk and Project Cargo Services for project cargo, heavy lift, semi-submersible, and break bulk sectors supporting oil and gas and mining activities in Africa, including operational support and local procurement.
• Logistics Services Comprehensive logistics services including clearing and forwarding, warehousing, door-to-door delivery, road and waterway haulage, with KPI-driven execution and health safety management.
• Landside Services (HBX) Inland container depot operations under the HBX brand for full and empty containers, offering safe transfer, secure storage, and added value services for merchants and shipping lines.
• Hub Agency Global network coordination service providing operational, administrative, and financial oversight for port calls worldwide through partner agencies with strict operational and financial KPIs.
• Crude, Gas and Refined Product Tankers Agency Ship agency services at crude export terminals and import liquid bulk berths, including advance planning, security management, and liaison with terminal authorities for safe turnaround.
• Offshore and Energy Agency
• Ro-Ro Agency Roll-on/roll-off operations support for Pure Car Carriers (PCC), Pure Car Truck Carriers (PCTC), and Conro vessels, including terminal arrangement and yard space coordination.
• Crew Change Services Safe and secure crew change services including visa applications, flight booking, hotel services, medical services, and meet-and-greet assistance at all locations.
• Temporary Importation and Bonds Services for temporary importation of working vessels including advisory, liaison with customs, bond financing, and permit regularization for West and Southern Africa.
• Navy Agency Agency services for warships from all nations, including berth identification, liaison with defense commands, security arrangements, and crew transport for official visits.
• Owners' Protective Agency (OPA) Protective agency services including disbursement account verification, fund management, port call reporting, and cargo document verification for vessel owners.
• Delivery of Ships Spares Logistical support for rapid clearance and delivery of ships spares, including air/sea freight consolidation, customs clearance, and transport to on/offshore locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Takoradi Port handles over 600 vessels annually, representing 40% of Ghana's total seaborne traffic and 60% of national exports
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• ONE Ocean Network ExpresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2019Hull Blyth Nigeria received the Sapphire Award for Best Agent in Africa from ONE Ocean Network Express in December 2019, recognizing outstanding agency performance.
• Maritime Anti Corruption Network (MACN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Hull Blyth joined MACN in November 2019. MACN's vision to tackle corruption in the Maritime Industry mirrors Hull Blyth's own business ethics. Commercial transparency, operational ethics, and company reputation are key parts of their business culture and DNA.
• Multiport NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHull Blyth is a long-standing member of the Multiport network of independent ship agents and serves as the Multiport flag bearer in Ghana and Nigeria. This partnership provides global coverage through a network of agencies sharing 'exacting standards, independent status and commitment to customer service'.
• Meridian Port Services (MPS)strategicTechnology or IntegrationMPS operates the container terminal at Tema Port in Ghana under concession. Hull Blyth works with MPS for container terminal operations. MPS is undertaking a major port expansion project including 700 meters of quay wall to accommodate vessels up to 14,000 TEU.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GAC Group: GAC is one of the world's largest independent ship agencies and logistics providers, with a particularly strong footprint across the Middle East and Africa. Directly comparable to Hull Blyth in multi-principal agency, husbandry, and offshore support across emerging-market ports.
• Norton Lilly International: Norton Lilly is one of the largest independent ship agencies in the Americas with global hub-agency reach. Directly comparable as a multi-principal, family-founded ship agent offering protective agency, husbandry, and logistics services.
• Network Shipping Services (Multiport member agencies): Multiport is a global network of independent ship agencies of which Hull Blyth is the Ghana and Nigeria flag bearer. Peer agencies within Multiport offer identical multi-principal agency services and frequently coordinate vessel calls through Hull Blyth's hub agency function.

Broad incumbents

• Inchcape Shipping Services: Inchcape is a major global port agency and maritime services provider serving commercial shipping across 60+ countries. A direct competitor to Hull Blyth in African hub ports but with substantially broader geographic coverage and institutional scale.
• Wilhelmsen Ships Service: Wilhelmsen operates a global ship service network providing agency, spare-parts logistics, and crew change across 2,000+ ports. Competes head-to-head with Hull Blyth in West and Southern Africa but as part of a much larger, diversified maritime services portfolio.

Regional players

• LADOL (Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base): LADOL is a Nigerian free zone providing integrated logistics, ship agency, and offshore support services in Lagos. Overlaps Hull Blyth's offshore/energy and project cargo segments in West Africa, particularly for oil & gas operators.
• ABC Maritime Agency: ABC Maritime is a privately owned ship agency with strong West African operations (especially Nigeria and Ghana). Directly overlaps Hull Blyth's liner, tramp, and offshore segments in the same ports and represents the closest regional competitor profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hull-blyth-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Hull Blyth