What Moran Shipping Agencies does

Moran Shipping Agencies, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned independent steamship agency headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, founded in 1937 by James Moran. It is the largest family-owned and largest independent steamship agency in North America, operating 20 full-service offices that directly serve over 100 U.S. ports and handle 6,000+ port calls annually. The third-generation Black family leads the firm, with Gavin R. Black as CEO and J. Andrew Black as President since August 2023 following the death of James A. Black.

The company's core offering is full-vessel agency attendance and ship husbandry across all vessel types, structured around port agency, hub agency coordination, port vendor management, voyage accounting, IT services, and regulatory compliance. It extends this into four product lines: Shipping Agency Services (the core), Port Compliance (realtime solutions across all 361 U.S. ports), Pollution and Safety (24/7/365 nationwide coverage), and Moran Renewables (offshore construction logistics for offshore wind). Underlying technology consists of an integrated, web-based communication network and an award-winning voyage accounting and finance system that delivers cost analysis by port, vessel, and service.

The business operates a professional services revenue model with quote-based, multi-year enterprise contracts negotiated per vessel and port requirement. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales augmented by industry-event presence (Breakbulk Americas, Posidonia, Connecticut Maritime Association, IPF, Greater Houston Port Bureau) and supported by an iOS/Android mobile directory app. Customers are concentrated in U.S. energy, commodities, offshore wind, and government (including Shell, Phillips 66, Freeport LNG, Dow, Equinor, Cenovus, Energy Transfer, Vineyard Wind, Del Monte Foods, and the Mexican Navy), with services delivered through a network of wholly owned regional entities (Moran-Pacific, Moran-Thibodeaux, Patterson & Wilde, Kurz-Moran).

Name

Moran Shipping Agencies

Legal name

Moran Shipping Agencies, Inc.

Website

https://moranshipping.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Moran Shipping Agencies is a privately held, family-owned independent steamship agency founded in 1937, providing full-vessel agency attendance, ship husbandry, voyage accounting, port compliance, and offshore renewables logistics to energy, commodities, offshore wind, and government clients across 100+ U.S. ports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Shipping Agency Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (488390), Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Port Call Clearance & Documentation (Arrival/Departure, Customs/Immigration/Health) (TLAHAJAA), Marine Service Provider Coordination (Diving, Inspection, Class/Survey Support) (TLAHAJAI)

Keywords

• Shipping agency services
• Port agency operations
• Vessel husbandry services
• Maritime port compliance
• Offshore wind logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Shipping Agency Services: Full-vessel agency attendance and ship husbandry services for all vessel types, including port agency, hub agency solutions, port vendor management, and voyage accounting
2. Port Compliance Services: Realtime solutions and security services at U.S. ports
3. Pollution and Safety Services: Qualified independent contractors providing around-the-clock coverage for pollution response and safety services
4. Offshore Renewables Support: Offshore construction logistics experience supporting renewable energy infrastructure at sea

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Moran Shipping Agencies is an independent steamship agency providing full-vessel agency attendance and ship husbandry services for vessel owners, operators, and energy sector clients across more than 100 U.S. ports. The company delivers port agency, hub agency, port vendor management, voyage accounting, regulatory compliance, port security, pollution and safety response, and offshore renewables logistics through 20 full-service offices.

Product overview

Moran Shipping Agencies offers a comprehensive suite of maritime services centered around shipping agency operations. The core offering is Shipping Agency Services, which provides full-vessel agency attendance and ship husbandry services including Port Agency & Vessel Husbandry, Hub Agency Solutions, Port Vendor Management, Voyage Accounting, Information Technology, and Regulatory Compliance. The company also provides specialized services under separate product lines: Port Compliance (realtime solutions across all 361 U.S. ports), Pollution and Safety (24/7 coverage nationwide), and Moran Renewables (offshore wind and construction logistics). An integrated communication network and voyage accounting system support these offerings with web-based solutions for account transparency and cost analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shipping Agency Services Full-vessel agency attendance and ship husbandry services for all vessel types, covering port agency, hub agency solutions, port vendor management, voyage accounting, IT and technology services, and regulatory compliance for vessel owners and operators calling U.S. ports.
• Port Compliance Realtime solutions and security services at all 361 U.S. ports, supporting regulatory compliance, U.S. Customs, Coast Guard, and immigration coordination for vessels calling American ports.
• Pollution and Safety Around-the-clock pollution response and safety services delivered by qualified independent contractors 365 days per year from coast to coast, serving vessels and ports across the United States.
• Moran Renewables Offshore construction logistics service providing vessel and crewing support, customs documentation, and crew changes for offshore renewable energy projects including offshore wind developments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Handles 6,000+ port calls annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, growth and minor.

• Multiport Ship Agencies NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 5 January 2026Moran Shipping officially joined the Multiport Ship Agencies Network as the member serving the United States West Coast, enabling international representation and coordination with other port agencies worldwide
• Houston Maritime Center & MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoran Shipping is a supporter of the Houston Maritime Center & Museum, which preserves and showcases Houston's maritime history and supports the maritime ecosystem
• Greater Houston Port BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual sponsor of the Commerce Club luncheons and active participant in port bureau events and initiatives
• Chamber of Shipping of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoran Shipping Agencies is proud to be part of the Chamber of Shipping of America and participates in Environmental Safety Awards
• IPF (International Partnership for the Offshore Wind Industry)growthStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoran participates in IPF events to discuss offshore wind vessel and crewing needs, with experience on Southfork and Vineyard Wind projects
• WISTA USAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJessica Di Giulio, VP of Business Development, participates in WISTA USA events including Women in Maritime career panels
• YoungShip TexasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilver sponsor of YoungShip Texas events supporting next generation of maritime industry leaders
• Rhode Island Community Food BankminorOthersEmployees at Providence headquarters collect donations for the food bank which supports 75,000 Rhode Islanders facing hunger every month
• U.S. Coast GuardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose working relationship with U.S. Coast Guard across all ports for regulatory compliance and safety coordination
• Association of Ship Brokers and Agents (ASBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participation in ASBA Agency Affairs Committee; employees earn ASBA Certificates of Achievement

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GAC Group: GAC is a global ship agency, husbandry, and logistics group operating in 300+ ports across the world. It is the most direct global competitor to Moran's port agency, hub agency, and vessel husbandry offerings, with overlapping enterprise customers and a similar full-service model.
• Inchcape Shipping Services: Inchcape is one of the world's largest ship agency and maritime services providers, offering port agency, husbandry, and husbandry-related services in 2,500+ ports. It directly competes with Moran for global shipping line and energy sector agency work, particularly on U.S. calls.
• V. Group: V. Group (V.Ships, V.Tankers, V.Marine) provides ship management and agency services globally, including port agency and husbandry. It is comparable to Moran in delivering full-vessel agency attendance to ship owners and operators across multiple vessel types.
• Transmarine Navigation Corp: Transmarine is a U.S.-based steamship agency and port service operator serving bulk, tanker, and breakbulk trades on the U.S. West Coast and Gulf. It is a direct peer in port agency, husbandry, and chartering-related agency services for similar vessel types.
• Norton Lilly International: Norton Lilly is one of the largest U.S. ship agency and stevedoring companies, founded in 1841, and a direct domestic competitor in U.S. port agency, husbandry, and related port services. Its scale, customer base, and service mix closely mirror Moran's.
• Wilhelmsen Ships Service: Wilhelmsen Ships Service provides port agency, husbandry, and a broad portfolio of maritime services in 2,200+ ports worldwide. It is a direct peer in ship agency and vessel husbandry, with comparable enterprise customer profiles in tankers, dry bulk, and offshore.

Regional players

• SAAM S.A. SAAM is a leading Chilean-based port and maritime services operator with ship agency and tug operations across the Americas. It is comparable in service model (port agency, husbandry, terminal services) and customer overlap in Latin American trade, though its primary geography is South America.

Emerging players

• Multiport Ship Agencies Network: Multiport is a network of independent ship agencies that Moran joined in 2026 as the U.S. West Coast member. Other network members are effectively direct competitors to Moran in their respective geographies, making the network both a partnership channel and a roster of like-for-like agency peers.
• Biehl & Co. Biehl is a Hamburg-based ship agency and maritime services firm active in European and select transatlantic trades. It is a partial-overlap peer providing port agency, husbandry, and crewing services to similar shipping and energy customers.

Broad incumbents

• Wrist Group (Wrist-Klevenberg): Wrist is a global marine supplier and ship service provider offering ship agency, supplies, and procurement. It overlaps with Moran in vessel husbandry and chandlery-related services for shipping lines, though it is a broader incumbent across many maritime service categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/moranshipping
• Facebookfacebook.com/Moran-Shipping-Agencies-Inc-185153998197019
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moran-shipping-agencies-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Moran Shipping Agencies