Compass Maritime

What Compass Maritime does

Compass Maritime Services LLC is a privately held maritime brokerage and advisory firm founded in 2000 as a spin-off of the Sale and Purchase department of A.L. Burbank (established 1928/incorporated 1929). Headquartered at 50 Tice Boulevard, Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, the firm operates with a small team (1-10 employees) whose founding partners have worked together for over 25 years and whose broker collective combines over 150 years of domain experience. Compass Maritime serves oil majors, refiners and trading companies, ship and barge owners/operators, banks and financial institutions, and the U.S. government (including Military Sealift Command) across a global footprint.

The firm operates an integrated service platform spanning seven core offerings: Jones Act Chartering (tank barges, tugs, and offshore barges for petroleum products, petrochemicals, crude oil, fertilizers, and liquified gasses), Offshore Services (chartering, government contracting, valuation, new construction, towage, salvage, and recycling), Sale & Purchase (foreign and domestic vessel brokerage with over 1,000 lifetime transactions), Valuations (over 500 vessel appraisals annually using market, income, replacement cost, and DCF approaches), Auctions (asset auctions with U.S. Marshals Service), Consultancy and Advisory Services, and Recycling (with exclusive mandates from Chevron, Matson Navigation, and SMT). Its underlying platform consists of a proprietary vessel database tracking technical and commercial details on thousands of on- and off-market vessels, a weekly market report distributed by email, and a network of over 2,000 banks, brokers, ship owners, law firms, and private equity firms.

Monetization is transaction-based: commissions on freight, hire, or purchase price for fixtures as agreed in writing per transaction (with separate commission mechanics for voyage charters, time charters, sale agreements, and new-build contracts), supplemented by professional services fees for valuations, market research, and bespoke advisory work (invoiced at completion or staged milestones, payable within 30 days). The firm holds one of only six seats on the Baltic Exchange Demolition Assessment Panel (BDA), which feeds Baltic Exchange ship valuation indices, and operates as a non-exclusive shipbroker intermediary — capable of acting for multiple parties across fixtures while maintaining post-fixture communications, operations, and claims support.

Name

Compass Maritime

Legal name

Compass Maritime Services LLC

Website

https://compassmar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Compass Maritime is a U.S.-based maritime brokerage and advisory firm providing Jones Act chartering, offshore services, vessel sale and purchase, valuations, auctions, consultancy, and recycling to oil majors, refiners, ship owners, banks, the U.S. government, and private equity groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Brokerage Services

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839), Navigational Services to Shipping (488330), Boat Dealers (441222)

SIC

Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLACABAF

Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Ocean Freight Forwarding (FCL/LCL)

SECONDARYTLACABAE

Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Ocean Freight Forwarding (FCL/LCL)

Keywords

• Ship brokerage services
• Vessel chartering services
• Maritime advisory services
• Ship sale purchase
• Vessel valuation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodcliff Lake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commission on Fixtures: Remuneration in the form of commission on freight, hire, or purchase price for fixtures. Commission is agreed in writing during negotiations and recorded in commission clause. On voyage charters, commission is payable on dead freight, demurrage, and freight. On time charters, commission is payable on hire. On sale agreements, commission is payable on delivery and payment of purchase price. On new building contracts, commission is payable as each stage payment is made.
2. Professional Services Fees: Fees for specific tasks such as ship valuations and market research, invoiced at completion of services or at agreed intervals. Payment due within 30 days of invoice date. Subject to specific terms, conditions, and provisions including valuation certificate wording.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Compass Maritime is a maritime brokerage and advisory firm that acts as a shipbroker intermediary, introducing principals and facilitating negotiations for fixtures including sale, purchase, charter, towage, and construction of ships. The firm also provides post-fixture services, vessel valuations, ship recycling brokerage, auctions, offshore and Jones Act chartering services, and broader maritime consultancy and advisory services to a network spanning over 2,000 banks, brokers, ship owners, law firms, and private equity firms.

Product overview

Compass Maritime is a maritime brokerage and advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of services organized around seven core offerings: Jones Act Chartering, Offshore Services, Sale & Purchase brokerage, Valuations, Auctions, Consultancy and Advisory Services, and Recycling. The company also produces a weekly Market Report. The services work together as an integrated maritime advisory platform, with the team combining over 150 years of knowledge to facilitate transactions across global and domestic markets. The Offshore team collaborates with Recycling and Sale & Purchase teams, and the firm leverages its Baltic Exchange panel membership to provide market intelligence. Clients include oil majors, refiners, trading shops, private equity groups, banks, ship owners, and the U.S. government.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jones Act Chartering Chartering services for tank barges, tugs, and offshore barges within the U.S. Jones Act market, facilitating transportation of clean petroleum products, petrochemicals, dirty petroleum products, asphalt, crude oil, fertilizers, and liquified gasses. Intended for oil majors, refiners, and trading companies.
• Offshore Services Comprehensive offshore industry services including chartering, government contracting, independent valuation of tugs, barges, and offshore tonnage, new construction, offshore towage, project cargo transport, sale and purchase, salvage operations, second-hand sales, recycling, and wet and dry tows. Intended for offshore operators, government clients, and maritime asset owners.
• Sale & Purchase

Quantifiable outcome

• Negotiated transportation of over 100,000,000 barrels of oil and gas cargos annually since 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 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 minor.

• Baltic ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Maritime serves as one of only six global panelists on the Baltic Exchange Demolition Assessment Panel (BDA). This panel membership is a significant recognition of the company's expertise in maritime valuations. The Baltic Exchange includes this weekly data in its calculation of the respective Baltic Exchange ship valuation indices, providing Compass Maritime with significant industry influence and visibility.
• National Maritime ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance with National Maritime Services for vessel arrest and recovery operations. National Maritime Services is fully equipped to assist in vessel arrest and recovery and acts as custodian after an arrest to oversee crew provisions, fueling, and all other necessary vessel-related operations. The partnership streamlines the auction process and helps manage expenses prior to successful auctions.
• American Waterways Operators (AWO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Maritime joined fellow members of the American Waterways Operators in Washington, D.C. to advocate on Capitol Hill for the American maritime industry. The company met with U.S. Senators and Representatives to champion domestic maritime sector importance, supporting over 100,000 maritime jobs and 650,000 American jobs.
• NASA (via client support)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Maritime directly supports launch planning and execution of NASA Artemis recovery missions under existing service agreements with clients and U.S. Navy Salvage Contract support. Responsible for advising on identification of potential vessel candidates to support rocket personnel capsule recovery if aborted mid-flight. Coordinates vessel movement toward capsule location for recovery efforts.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fearnleys: Norwegian shipbroker offering sale & purchase, newbuilding, chartering, and offshore services globally. Directly comparable to Compass Maritime across ship sale & purchase brokerage and offshore services, though focused more on North Sea, OSV, and Norwegian-flag tonnage.
• Marcon International: U.S.-based shipbroker focused on sale & purchase and chartering of offshore supply vessels, tugs, and barges. Directly comparable niche to Compass Maritime's offshore and Jones Act tugs/barges practice.
• Poten & Partners: U.S.-headquartered shipbroker and tanker-market specialist offering sale & purchase, chartering, and project finance advisory. A particularly close peer to Compass Maritime given its U.S. base and tanker/chartering focus.
• National Maritime Services: U.S.-based maritime services firm specializing in vessel arrest, custodian management, and auction support. Listed as a Compass Maritime strategic alliance partner for auction operations, with overlapping services in maritime asset disposition and recovery.
• Barry Roglinden Salles (BRS): International shipbroker offering sale & purchase, newbuilding, chartering, and research across all major vessel segments. Directly comparable business model to Compass Maritime's international sale & purchase and recycling brokerage activity.
• Simpson Spence Young: Independent shipbroker and shipping finance adviser covering tankers, dry bulk, containers, and offshore. Comparable to Compass Maritime across sale & purchase, chartering, and advisory mandates, though London-headquartered.

Broad incumbents

• Clarkson PLC: Largest global integrated shipbroker and maritime services provider offering shipbroking, research, offshore, and financial services. Overlaps directly with Compass Maritime across sale & purchase, valuations, and offshore services, but serves a much broader global portfolio rather than specializing in the U.S. Jones Act niche.
• Braemar ACM: Global shipbroking and marine services firm with strong tanker, dry cargo, and offshore coverage. A direct competitor to Compass Maritime on international sale & purchase and offshore mandates, though it lacks the same U.S. Jones Act specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Compass-Maritime-Services-LLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/compass-maritime-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Compass Maritime