Thompson Shipping

What Thompson Shipping does

Thompson Shipping Co., Ltd. is a family-owned marine transportation company founded in 1977 and headquartered in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. It operates as the only marine provider for interisland cargo transportation between Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac, running a fleet of four vessels — two tug boats (Bloody Bay and Point of Sand) and two deck barges (Whitehall Bay with 60 TEU capacity and Rebecca VII with 80 TEU capacity) — on a once-weekly Tuesday sailing schedule, weather permitting. The company maintains physical offices on all three islands: the Grand Cayman headquarters at 10 Shipping Lane, an interisland receiving facility at 120 Portland Road, a Cayman Brac branch, and a Little Cayman contact point.

The company offers a comprehensive suite of ocean freight services covering reefer (temperature-controlled) cargo, full container load (FCL), less than container load (LCL), dry cargo, lift-on/lift-off (LOLO), roll-on/roll-off (RORO), vehicle, boat, trailer, and heavy equipment transport, plus ship agency services. Its underlying technology is physical and operational — a configured fleet supporting both RORO and LOLO handling at Cayman Brac (with RORO available in Little Cayman) and scheduled weekly interisland routes. No digital self-service, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities are evident in the data.

Thompson Shipping generates revenue through transaction-fee-based pricing on a quote-only model. Customers contact the company directly by phone (1-345-949-8044) or email to obtain shipping quotes and arrange services. Revenue streams are diversified across cargo types and customer segments — from individual small parcel/envelope shipments (LCL) to commercial reefer cargo, vehicle transport, and heavy equipment logistics. The company serves a horizontal mix of SMBs, individuals, and commercial shippers in the Cayman Islands, and reports a headcount of 51-100 employees with no external funding, parent company, or institutional ownership structure. A December 2025 ransomware incident at a strategic vendor was publicly disclosed, prompting customer data security response.

Name

Thompson Shipping

Legal name

Thompson Shipping Co., Ltd.

Website

https://thompsonshipping.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Thompson Shipping Co., Ltd. is a family-owned Cayman Islands marine transportation company, founded in 1977, operating the only interisland cargo service between Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac via a four-vessel fleet on weekly sailings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Transportation Services

NAICS

Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311), Coastal and Great Lakes Freight Transportation (483113), Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigerated Ocean Shipping (Reefer Containers & Specialized Reefer Vessels) (TLADAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Breakbulk & Project Cargo Handling (Heavy Lift, Out-of-Gauge Handling) (TLAHALAH), Temperature-Controlled Ocean Freight (Reefer Containers) (TLACAMAG), Cargo Handling & Lifting Equipment (Cranes, Derricks, Hoists) (IMAJAIAB)

Keywords

• Interisland cargo shipping
• Marine transportation services
• Ocean freight logistics
• Reefer cargo transport
• Roll-on roll-off shipping

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Cayman

HQ country

Cayman Islands

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Full Container Load (FCL) Shipping: Revenue generated from transporting cargo in dedicated full containers for big projects, large loads, or shippers preferring exclusive container use.
2. Less Than Container Load (LCL) Shipping: Revenue from palletized cargo, envelopes, and smaller shipments consolidated with other cargo in shared containers.
3. Reefer Cargo Transportation: Fees for temperature-controlled shipping of chilled or frozen cargo using specialized refrigerated containers.
4. Vehicle and Equipment Transport: Revenue from transporting vehicles, boats, trailers, and heavy equipment via RORO services.
5. Ship Agency Services: Additional maritime agency services provided to support shipping operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Thompson Shipping operates weekly marine cargo transportation between Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac using a fleet of two tug boats and two deck barges. The company delivers Reefer (temperature-controlled), Full Container Load (FCL), Less Than Container Load (LCL), Dry Cargo, Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO), and Lift-on/Lift-off (LOLO) services, as well as vehicle, boat, trailer, and heavy equipment transport, plus ship agency services.

Product overview

Thompson Shipping is a family-owned marine transportation company founded in 1977, providing interisland cargo services between Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands. The company operates a fleet of 2 tug boats and 2 barges and offers a comprehensive suite of shipping services including Reefer Cargo (temperature-controlled), Full Container Load (FCL), Less Than Container Load (LCL), Dry Cargo, Lift-on/Lift-off (LOLO), Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO), vehicle shipping, boat transport, heavy equipment transport, trailer shipping, and ship agency services. The core offering is weekly interisland sailings providing both LOLO and RORO capabilities, supplemented by vessel ownership for operational control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reefer Cargo Shipping
• Full Container Load (FCL) Shipping Dedicated container shipping for large projects, heavy loads, or shippers who prefer their cargo to be transported in its own private container between the Cayman Islands.
• Less Than Container Load (LCL) Shipping Consolidated shipping service for palletised cargo, envelopes, and smaller shipments that share container space, enabling cost-effective transport of small loads between the Cayman Islands.
• Dry Cargo Shipping Standard shipping service for dry goods and non-perishable cargo between Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac.
• Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO) Shipping Vehicle-loading method in which cargo is driven on and off the vessel, available in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, used for cars, boats, trailers, and heavy equipment.
• Lift-on/Lift-off (LOLO) Shipping Container loading and unloading service using crane equipment at Cayman Brac for interisland shipping operations.
• Vehicle Shipping Transport service for automobiles and other vehicles between Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, using RORO or LOLO methods as appropriate.
• Boat Transport Marine shipping service for boats and watercraft between the Cayman Islands, using roll-on/roll-off or lift-on/lift-off methods.
• Heavy Equipment Transport Shipping service for heavy machinery and equipment between the Cayman Islands using specialized RORO/LOLO loading methods.
• Trailer Shipping Shipping service for trailers and trailer-mounted cargo between Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac.
• Ship Agency Services Maritime agency services including port representation, documentation, and coordination support for vessels calling at the Cayman Islands.
• Weekly Interisland Sailing Service Scheduled weekly marine cargo transportation service departing Grand Cayman every Tuesday (weather permitting) to Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, offering both LOLO and RORO capabilities across the company's tug-and-barge fleet.

Quantifiable outcome

• Weekly sailings ensure consistent and predictable shipping schedules for customers.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 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

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Tropical Shipping: Florida-based ocean cargo carrier serving the Caribbean basin including the Cayman Islands. Offers FCL, LCL, and reefer services into the same island markets Thompson serves, making it the closest functional peer despite its much larger scale.
• Trailer Bridge: Specialized ocean carrier focused on Caribbean and US island markets using lift-on/lift-off and roll-on/roll-off methods similar to Thompson's RORO/LOLO capabilities, plus breakbulk cargo services.
• King Ocean Services: Caribbean ocean cargo carrier operating between the US and Caribbean island destinations with FCL and reefer services. Comparable in delivering temperature-controlled and general cargo to island markets.

Broad incumbents

• Seacor Marine: Diversified marine transportation and logistics company with Caribbean and Gulf operations. Provides ocean freight, vessel support, and interisland logistics services that overlap with Thompson's tug/barge cargo model.
• Crowley Maritime: Major US-based maritime logistics provider with extensive Caribbean and Latin America operations including containerized ocean freight. Overlaps with Thompson on Caribbean ocean cargo, but at much greater scale and route breadth.
• TOTE Maritime: US maritime operator providing ocean cargo services between the continental US, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean. Comparable in serving island markets with containerized and specialized cargo, though at much larger scale.
• Seaboard Marine: Operates liner services between the US East Coast, Caribbean, and Central America with FCL, reefer, and breakbulk capabilities. Comparable ocean freight service mix to Thompson Shipping though at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• Cayman Islands Cargo Services: Other Cayman-based cargo handling and logistics providers operating in the same territory as Thompson Shipping. Limited public information, but represents any competing local operator in Thompson's home market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thompsonshippingcoltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Thompson Shipping