Apeejay Shipping

What Apeejay Shipping does

Apeejay Shipping Limited is a privately held Indian dry bulk shipping company established in 1948 and operated as part of the Apeejay Surrendra Group (a diversified Indian conglomerate founded in 1910). The company operates a fleet of approximately 10–12 modern dry bulk carriers spanning Panamax, Kamsamax, Supramax, Handymax, and Cape-size classes — both geared (with cranes and grabs) and gearless — that trade on worldwide ocean routes and Indian coastal trade, moving commodities such as coal and salt. Operations are coordinated through a Mumbai Liaison Office handling chartering and commercial activity, with international counterparty coverage provided by a London-based General Agent (Apeejay London Limited) and wholly owned overseas subsidiaries in Panama and Singapore that support ownership structuring and global operations.

The core technology stack is conventional maritime: vessel operations governed by an ISM Code-compliant Safety Management System aligned with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards, ensuring compliance with IMO, Flag State, and Classification Society requirements. The fleet comprises Japanese-, Chinese-, and Philippine-built bulk carriers, with newer additions (APJ Sethu, APJ Jaouad, APJ Indrani) added in 2023–2024 and older tonnage (APJ Akhil, 1989; APJ Suryavir, 1990) reflecting an ongoing fleet renewal program. Differentiators highlighted by the company include over six decades of operational experience, brand heritage from the parent Apeejay Surrendra Group, and governance bench-strength (e.g., a former Shipping Corporation of India CEO on the board).

The business model is transaction-based dry bulk chartering: the company earns revenue by transporting bulk cargo under voyage and time charter arrangements with cargo owners, commodity traders, manufacturers, and shipping charterers. Pricing is market-dependent and negotiated per voyage or time-charter basis; no public pricing exists. The go-to-market is sales-led through direct chartering and commercial operations, leveraging the Mumbai office for Indian and coastal trade and the London General Agent for international counterparties. The customer base is a horizontal mix of industrial dry bulk cargo owners and charterers rather than a vertical specialization.

Name

Apeejay Shipping

Legal name

Apeejay Shipping Limited

Website

https://apeejayshipping.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Apeejay Shipping Limited is a privately held Indian dry bulk shipowner (est. 1948) operating ~10–12 Panamax, Kamsamax, Supramax, Handymax and Cape-size carriers on worldwide and Indian coastal routes, serving commodity cargo owners and charterers via direct chartering out of Mumbai and London.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dry Bulk Shipping

NAICS

Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Dry Cargo Carriers (Capesize/Panamax/Supramax/Handysize) (TLADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dry Bulk Ocean Shipping (Capesize/Panamax/Handysize) (TLADAKAA)

Keywords

• Dry bulk shipping
• Maritime transportation
• Bulk carrier chartering
• Seaborne cargo logistics
• Coastal shipping services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kolkata

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dry Bulk Shipping Services: Transportation of dry bulk cargo via owned fleet of modern bulk carriers operating worldwide and on Indian coastal trade routes. Revenue generated through chartering arrangements with cargo owners and shipping intermediaries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Apeejay Shipping owns and operates a fleet of modern dry bulk carriers (Panamax, Kamsamax, Supramax, Handymax, and Cape-size) that transport dry bulk cargo worldwide and on Indian coastal trade routes. The company directly manages chartering and commercial operations through its Mumbai liaison office, with London-based general agency supporting international business. Services are delivered under voyage and time charter arrangements with cargo owners and shipping charterers, governed by a Safety Management System certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and the IMO ISM Code.

Product overview

Apeejay Shipping operates a unified dry bulk carrier shipping service comprising a fleet of modern vessels trading worldwide and in Indian coastal trade. The fleet consists of 12 named vessels across different size categories: Panamax (APJ JAOUAD, APJ KABIR ANAND, APJ ANGAD 2, APJ INDRANI), Kamsamax (APJ SETHU), Supramax (APJ SHIRIN, APJ JAI, APJ KAIS, APJ JAD), Handymax (APJ AKHIL), and Cape-size (APJ SURYAVIR). Vessels are equipped with cargo handling gear (cranes and grabs) or configured as gearless for dry bulk operations. The company also provides shipping services including fleet management, chartering, operations, and commercial services through its Mumbai liaison office.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dry Bulk Carrier Shipping Services Worldwide and Indian coastal dry bulk cargo transportation operated through a fleet of modern dry bulk carriers, including Panamax (APJ JAOUAD, APJ KABIR ANAND, APJ ANGAD 2, APJ INDRANI), Kamsamax (APJ SETHU), Supramax (APJ SHIRIN, APJ JAI, APJ KAIS, APJ JAD), Handymax (APJ AKHIL), and Cape-size (APJ SURYAVIR) classes. Geared vessels are fitted with cranes and grabs for cargo handling. Services are delivered under voyage and time charter arrangements to industrial cargo owners and shipping charterers, governed by an ISM-Code-aligned Safety Management System certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pacific Basin Shipping Limited: Hong Kong-listed global dry bulk specialist with a Supramax/Handymax-heavy fleet. Directly comparable as a pure-play dry bulk owner-operator focused on the same mid-size vessel segments that constitute the core of Apeejay's fleet.
• Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. U.S.-listed pure-play Supramax/Ultramax dry bulk operator. Comparable as a focused mid-size dry bulk carrier; relevant benchmark for the Supramax portion of Apeejay's geared fleet.
• Safe Bulkers Inc. Greek-based dry bulk specialist operating Panamax, Kamsamax, Capesize and Post-Panamax vessels. Directly comparable as a dry bulk carrier with similar vessel class mix and similar global chartering model.
• Tolani Shipping Company Limited: Indian private-sector dry bulk carrier operating a smaller fleet of bulk carriers on global and Indian coastal trades. Highly comparable in geography, ownership structure (private Indian), and focus on dry bulk mid-size tonnage.
• Essar Shipping Limited: Indian private-sector shipping company with dry bulk carrier operations and fleet services. Comparable as an Indian-headquartered private bulk carrier, though Essar has undergone restructuring and has a different mix of business segments.
• Star Bulk Carriers Corp. Greek-based global dry bulk leader operating Newcastlemax/Capesize/Kamsamax/Panamax/Ultramax vessels. Directly comparable as a dry bulk carrier serving international charterers with similar vessel classes, though at significantly larger scale.
• Varun Shipping Co. Ltd. Indian private-sector dry bulk carrier with a smaller fleet of bulk carriers. Comparable as an India-based private dry bulk operator with similar customer base and chartering approach, though at smaller scale.
• Diana Shipping Inc. Greek-based dry bulk owner with a fleet of Capesize, Kamsamax, Panamax and Ultramax vessels. Comparable as a pure-play dry bulk time charter operator using similar vessel size classes and similar customer type (commodity charterers).
• Great Eastern Shipping Co. Ltd. (GE Shipping): India's largest private-sector shipping company, operating tankers and dry bulk carriers globally. Directly comparable in geography (Indian-headquartered), business model (private operator of mixed dry bulk fleet), and target customers (commodity charterers worldwide).

Broad incumbents

• Shipping Corporation of India (SCI): India's largest public-sector shipping company operating tankers, bulk carriers, container ships and offshore vessels. Comparable as an Indian-headquartered carrier with bulk exposure, but with much broader portfolio and a public-sector mandate that differentiates it from Apeejay's private mid-size focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apeejay-shipping-ltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/apeejayshipping

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Apeejay Shipping