Nord-Sud Shipping

What Nord-Sud Shipping does

Nord-Sud Shipping is a privately held U.S. ship agency company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Lutcher, Louisiana. The company provides agency services for charterers, commercial operators, and vessel owners whose ships trade liquid bulk, dry bulk, breakbulk, and project/heavy-lift cargoes along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Its core offerings are split into two service lines: (i) general Vessel Agency Services covering charterer's representation, owner's protective representation, owner's husbandry, and terminal agency representation, and (ii) an Offshore Exploration & Production (E&P) Agency Services division (operated as the Nord-Sud Offshore sub-brand) that supports drill rig and drill ship mobilizations, in-field transfers, freight forwarding, customs brokerage, crew immigration, and documentation for offshore E&P operators and rig owners.

The underlying technology is a service-and-logistics stack rather than a software product: agents operate electronic filing integrations with U.S. Customs and Border Protection systems including AMS, OAMS, AAMS, AES, e-APIS2, and e-NOAD across all U.S. ports. The firm's differentiator is its integration-interoperability with these regulatory filing systems, combined with FONASBA-certified agent credentials and a favorable regulatory precedent from a U.S. Customs ruling more than a decade ago that reduced offshore operator turnaround and overhead by more than 70%. Service delivery runs through 12 regional offices — Lutcher (HQ), Houston (West-Gulf regional HQ), Mobile, Panama City, Tampa, Port Everglades, Fernandina Beach, Wilmington, Norfolk, Staten Island, Charleston, and Halifax (Canada) — with stated 24/7 availability for active vessel calls.

The business model is professional services fee-based: revenue is generated per vessel call, per mobilization, per customs filing, and per crew service, with custom quote-based pricing rather than standardized published rates. Go-to-market is direct/relationship-based to charterers, vessel owners, terminal operators, E&P operators, and rig owners across the U.S. Gulf, U.S. Atlantic, Canada, and worldwide through association networks. The company is family-controlled (the Berthelot family holds President, Secretary Treasurer, EVP, and Vessel Manager roles) and operates with 11-50 employees; no external institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity are disclosed.

Name

Nord-Sud Shipping

Legal name

NordSud Shipping

Website

https://nordsudshipping.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nord-Sud Shipping is a privately held U.S. ship agency founded in 1995 and headquartered in Louisiana, providing vessel representation and offshore exploration-and-production agency services to charterers, owners, and rig operators across the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ship Agency Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Offshore/Remote Port Call & Anchorage Services (Launch Boats, Crew Boats, Supply Runs) (TLAHAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Offshore Marine & Aviation Support (PSVs, AHTS, Crew Boats, Helicopters) (EUALABAJ), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

Keywords

• Vessel agency services
• Ship agency representation
• Offshore E&P agency
• Customs brokerage services
• Port logistics support

Headquarters

HQ city

Lutcher

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Vessel Agency Services: Fee-based agency services for vessels including charterer's agency representation, owner's protective representation, owner's husbandry representation, and terminal agency representation. Services are provided 24/7 with coverage across US Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
2. Offshore E&P Agency Services: Specialized agency services for offshore exploration and production operations including freight forwarding, customs brokerage, crew immigration services, and documentation services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Nord-Sud Shipping provides vessel agency representation for charterers, commercial operators, vessel owners, and terminal operators handling liquid bulk, dry bulk, breakbulk, and project/heavy-lift cargoes across the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Through its Offshore E&P division, it offers specialized agency services for offshore exploration and production operators, including drill rig mobilization, crew management, freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and electronic filing. Services are delivered 24/7 from 12 regional offices, with full coverage across U.S. ports through electronic filing systems and FONASBA-certified agents.

Product overview

Nord-Sud Shipping provides vessel agency and logistical solutions for the US Gulf region, operating two core service offerings: Vessel Agency Services covering charterer, owner protective, and husbandry representation for various cargo types; and Offshore E&P Agency Services for offshore exploration and production operations. The company also offers electronic filing capabilities (AMS, OAMS, AES) as an integrated component of both service lines. Services span cargo handling, crew management, customs clearance, freight forwarding, and regulatory compliance across multiple US Gulf and Atlantic Coast ports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nord-Sud Offshore: Offshore Exploration and Production division of Nord-Sud Shipping, providing specialized agency services for E&P operators and rig owners in the U.S. Gulf.

Products and services

• Vessel Agency Services Comprehensive ship agency representation for vessels trading liquid bulk, dry bulk, breakbulk, and project and heavy-lift cargoes across the US Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast. Includes charterer's agency, owner's protective representation, and owner's husbandry representation, with 24/7 availability through main offices in Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, and Panama City.
• Offshore E&P Agency Services Specialized agency services for offshore exploration and production operations in the U.S. Gulf, including drill rig and drill ship mobilization, in-field transfers, equipment import/export, marine supply boat clearances, helicopter clearances, freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and crew immigration/repatriation. Designed for offshore E&P operators and rig owners managing complex, remote operations.
• Electronic Filing Services Automated manifest and export filing services using AMS, OAMS, AAMS, AES, e-APIS2, and e-NOAD systems for vessel and cargo documentation across all U.S. ports. Enables streamlined customs and regulatory compliance for vessels and aircraft.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced customer turnaround and overhead by more than 70% through regulatory advocacy with US Customs for offshore E&P operations

Segments5 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

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Wilhelmsen Port Services: Global ship agency network serving ports worldwide including US Gulf. Competes with Nord-Sud in vessel husbandry, protective agency, and offshore agency services.
• GAC Group: Global ship agency and logistics network operating in the US Gulf with extensive husbandry, protective agency, and offshore support capabilities. Directly comparable in service mix to Nord-Sud but at much larger global scale.
• Inchcape Shipping Services: Global port agency and maritime services provider with strong US Gulf presence offering vessel agency, husbandry, and offshore logistics. Comparable in core offerings but with broader geographic coverage.

Direct peers

• Norton Lilly International: US-headquartered ship agency and logistics provider with strong Gulf and East Coast presence serving charterers, owners, and operators. Closely comparable in service mix, customer segments, and regional focus to Nord-Sud.
• Biege Shipping Agency: Regional US ship agency with operations in the Gulf region providing husbandry and protective agency services. Directly comparable niche player to Nord-Sud.
• Offen & Co: Houston-based ship agency and maritime services firm serving Gulf of Mexico trade. Comparable in charterer and owner representation for bulk and tanker trades in the US Gulf.
• Vega Ship Agency: Smaller regional ship agency serving US ports with vessel husbandry and protective agency services. Comparable niche player competing with Nord-Sud in selected port ranges.
• Transmarine Navigation Corp: US-based vessel agency specializing in tanker and bulk trades across US ports including the Gulf. Comparable to Nord-Sud in charterer's agency representation and husbandry services.
• Continental Maritime (Hub Group): US-based ship agency and maritime logistics provider serving Gulf and Atlantic ports. Comparable in core vessel agency services for charterers and owners across bulk cargo types.

Emerging players

• Stream Marine Technical: Offshore-focused service provider with crewing and logistics capabilities for offshore energy operators. Partial overlap with Nord-Sud's offshore E&P division but with broader technical services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nordsudshipping
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nord-sud-shipping

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Nord-Sud Shipping