What Pritchard-Gordon Tankers does

Pritchard-Gordon Tankers Ltd is a privately held, fully integrated British tanker owner and operator trading under the UK Tonnage Tax regime, founded in 1989 by Giles Pritchard-Gordon, the former youngest-ever director of Clarksons. The company owns and operates a fleet of nine purpose-built, shallow-draft, double-hull product/IMO II chemical tankers ranging from 6,800 dwt to 10,600 dwt, plus two further vessels delivered in 2025 (Lettie PG and Agnes PG), all European-built and flying British or Isle of Man flags. Vessels are named after generations of the founder's female family members and are chartered primarily to oil majors and other charterers for the carriage of crude oil, fuel oil and refined petroleum products in environmentally sensitive trade lanes across the Caribbean Sea, USA, Central and South America.

The business model is asset-heavy and asset-revenue-linked: PGT charters its fleet under time and voyage charter arrangements to oil major vetting-approved customers, while operating internal technical management (crewing, drydockings, newbuilding supervision, procurement) from its Tyne and Wear office and commercial/chartering/accounting activities from its Sussex head office. The company runs an established cadet training scheme at South Shields Marine School (in operation 25+ years, with ~19 cadets currently in the pipeline), which produces British-certified officers and supports the talent base needed for oil/chemical tanker operations. Distribution is entirely direct: vessel chartering relationships are maintained in-house with oil major vetting teams and Port State Control/classification societies, with no intermediaries or third-party operators.

PGT's commercial differentiation rests on a narrow but defensible specialization in shallow-draft, environmentally compliant product/chemical tankers with stainless-steel IMO II capability — a vessel class in limited supply and well-suited to restricted-draft Caribbean and Latin American ports. Recurring revenue is supported by long-tenured customer relationships (most notably Shell, a charterer since 1988), a long-dated order book with European shipyards (RMK Marine, CMJL), and proactive environmental compliance (USCG-approved Ballast Water Treatment Systems across the fleet, Cyber Essentials certification). The company is privately held with no public financial disclosure, a professional board including family members, and has continued to renew its fleet through newbuildings despite the founder's death in 2011.

Name

Pritchard-Gordon Tankers

Legal name

Pritchard-Gordon Tankers Ltd

Website

https://pgtankers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Pritchard-Gordon Tankers is a privately held British tanker owner-operator running nine IMO II product/chemical tankers (6,800–10,600 dwt), specializing in shallow-draft, double-hull vessels chartered to oil majors in the Caribbean, USA, Central and South America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Transportation / Product Tanker Operations

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Liquid Bulk / Crude & Product Tanker Operators (VLCC/Suezmax/Aframax/MR) (TLADABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Crude Oil Tanker Shipping (EUALADAG)

Keywords

• Product tanker operations
• Marine transportation services
• Chemical tanker shipping
• Shallow draft tankers
• Vessel chartering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Slaugham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Tanker Operations and Chartering: Revenue generated from operating and chartering product tankers for transport of crude oil, fuel oil and refined petroleum products in environmentally sensitive areas. The company operates vessels ranging from 6,800 dwt to 10,600 dwt under British or Isle of Man flag.
2. Technical Management Services: Internal technical management of vessels including personnel management, staff training, drydockings, design and newbuilding supervision

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pritchard-Gordon Tankers is a fully integrated British tanker owning and operating company that owns and timecharters purpose-built shallow draft, double hull product/IMO II chemical tankers (ranging from 6,800 dwt to 10,600 dwt) to Oil Major companies and other charterers. The vessels transport crude oil, fuel oil, and refined petroleum products primarily in environmentally sensitive areas including the Caribbean Sea, USA, Central and South America. The company also runs an established Cadet Training Scheme to develop future seafarers.

Product overview

Pritchard-Gordon Tankers operates a fleet of nine product/chemical tankers (ranging from 6,836 dwt to 10,600 dwt) specializing in the transport of crude oil, fuel oil, and refined petroleum products in environmentally sensitive areas. The fleet comprises purpose-built, shallow draft, double hull tankers named after generations of female family members. Vessels are European-built, flying British or Isle of Man flag, with operations primarily in the Caribbean Sea, USA, Central and South America. The company also runs an established Cadet Training Scheme in partnership with South Shields Marine School.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cosima PG 6,850 dwt Product/IMO II Chemical Tanker built in 2019 by RMK Marine, classified by Class NK. 105m LOA, 18m beam, 6.5m draft, flagged IOM. Used for chartering to Oil Majors for transport of petroleum products in environmentally sensitive areas.
• Lily PG 6,836 dwt Stainless Steel Product/IMO II Chemical Tanker built in 2018 by RMK Marine, Istanbul. 110m LOA, 17.5m beam. Chartered to Oil Majors for specialized product transport.
• Rose PG Product Tanker built in 2017 by RMK Marine. Part of the fleet of European-built tankers for chartering to Oil Major companies.
• Georgina PG 9,999 dwt Product Tanker built in 2008 by Volharding, Holland. Classified by Lloyd's Register. 126.95m LOA, 19.6m beam, 6.8m draft. Chartered for petroleum product transport.
• Evie PG 9,992 dwt Product Tanker built in 2007 by Volharding Shipyard, Holland. 6.51m draft, flagged Malta. Used for chartering services.
• Tessa PG 7,010 dwt Product Tanker built in 2005 by Sedef, Turkey. 119.6m LOA, 16.9m beam, 6.74m draft. Chartered for petroleum transport.
• Veronica PG Product Tanker built in 2004. Part of the company's fleet chartered to Oil Major customers.
• Lettie PG 10,600 dwt Product/Chemical IMO II tanker built in 2025 by CMJL. Classified by DNV. 127m LOA, 22m beam. Newbuilding replacement vessel with environmental and emission reduction features.
• Agnes PG 10,600 dwt Product/Chemical IMO II tanker built in 2025. Sister vessel to Lettie PG as part of the newbuilding fleet renewal program.
• Cadet Training Scheme Active cadet training program in partnership with South Shields Marine School (part of South Tyneside College). Training lasts 2.5-3 years and leads to Diploma in Shipping and Marine Operations, HNC qualification, and Certificate of Competency as Officer of the Watch. Currently has approximately 19 Cadet Officers in the system.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vessels equipped with USCG approved Ballast Water Treatment Systems
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ShellcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 January 2018Shell is a key charterer and partner. PGT's Managing Director attended Shell Partners in Safety Conference in London. The company timechartered its first vessel Lucy PG to Shell in 1988 for Caribbean trading. Ongoing commercial relationship for product tanker chartering.
• Oil Major CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe company maintains relationships with Oil Major Company vetting teams for vessel approval. Chartering vessels for crude oil, fuel oil and refined petroleum products transport.
• Classification Societies (Class NK, Lloyd's Register, DNV)coreTechnology or IntegrationClassification societies handle vessel class surveys and certifications. Class NK for Cosima PG and newer vessels, Lloyd's Register for Georgina PG, DNV for Lettie PG. Liaison with Classification Societies for vessel certification.
• Regulatory Bodies and Port State ControlcoreTechnology or IntegrationOngoing liaison with industry bodies, regulators, Classification Societies and Port State Control offices for vessel operations compliance.
• South Tyneside College / South Shields Marine SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with South Shields Marine School, part of South Tyneside College, for cadet training. Cadets undergo practical and theoretical training at the college for achieving Officer of the Watch qualifications. Training lasts 2.5-3 years culminating in Diploma in Shipping and Marine Operations and HNC qualification.
• RMK Marine (Istanbul)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShipyard partner for new vessel construction. Built Lily PG (2018), Rose PG (2017), Cosima PG (2019), and Lettie PG (2025). Exclusive vessel designs for PGT at cutting edge of shipbuilding practice and environmental requirements.
• Sedef Shipyard (Turkey)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilt Tessa PG in 2005 at Sedef shipyard in Turkey.
• Volharding Shipyard (Holland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilt Georgina PG (2008) and Evie PG (2007) at Volharding shipyard in Holland.
• CMJL ShipyardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilt Lettie PG (2025) at CMJL shipyard. Part of newbuilding fleet renewal program with 10,600 dwt vessels.

Scale indicators6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Vroon: Dutch shipping group with product tanker and offshore/PSV operations. Comparable on European family-owned ownership structure and product tanker chartering to Oil Majors.
• Fairfield Chemical Carriers: US-based chemical and specialty products tanker operator focused on the US Gulf/Caribbean trade. Highly comparable on geography (Caribbean/Americas) and on the shallow-draft, environmentally sensitive-area niche.

Broad incumbents

• Stena Bulk: Large privately held Swedish tanker owner with significant product and chemical tanker tonnage across multiple segments. Broader scale than PGT but comparable in chemical/product tanker focus and European ownership.
• Odfjell: Global chemical tanker specialist with stainless-steel and coated tonnage. Direct overlap with PGT's IMO II chemical tanker capability, though Odfjell operates at substantially larger scale.
• Hafnia: Large global product tanker pool operator with substantial LR1/MR fleet. Comparable on business model (time charter pool to Oil Majors) and product tanker segment, though at materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Ardmore Shipping: Mid-sized product and chemical tanker owner-operator focused on MR and smaller IMO2 chemical tankers. Highly comparable on vessel class, chemical/product flexibility, and Oil Major customer mix.
• d'Amico International Shipping: Product tanker operator with MR and Handysize vessels, primarily serving Americas and Atlantic basin trades. Closely comparable in vessel size range and geographic focus on the Americas/Caribbean.
• Team Tankers International: Chemical and product tanker operator with a Handysize/Handymax fleet serving similar industrial and Oil Major clients. Comparable on vessel size, cargo specialization, and Atlantic basin trades.
• Scorpio Tankers: Publicly listed pure-play product tanker operator with a large MR and Handysize fleet. Closest direct peer by business model (product/chemical tanker chartering to Oil Majors) and comparable vessel class coverage.
• Torm: One of the world's largest product tanker shipping companies, focused on MR and LR1 segments. Direct competitor in the product tanker charter market serving global Oil Majors with overlapping customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Pritchard-Gordon Tankers