URSA Shipbrokers

What URSA Shipbrokers does

URSA Shipbrokers is a privately-held ship brokerage firm headquartered in Piraeus, Greece, that provides dry cargo chartering and ship sale and purchase services to international shipowners, operators, and charterers. The firm specializes in the Handysize to Kamsarmax dry bulk segments and also covers newbuilding, secondhand, and recycling transactions through its Sale & Purchase desk. Operations and post-fixture services are provided in-house to ensure execution through deal closure.

The company's revenue model is primarily commission-based, with brokers earning fees on each successfully negotiated charter fixture or ship sale and purchase transaction; supplementary revenue is generated through consultancy engagements and gated research products. Its go-to-market is relationship-led and content-supported: an active LinkedIn presence, sustained publication of URSABLOG, and password-protected weekly route assessments and bulk carrier price benchmarks serve as both client development channels and proprietary market intelligence outputs. Distillation of insights from both the chartering and S&P desks into research products is presented as a differentiator.

Underlying technology is conventional shipbroking tooling — broker relationships, market knowledge, and analyst-produced research — rather than a software platform or proprietary model. The firm competes in the relationship-driven Greek shipping ecosystem with a small headcount (11–50 employees), independently operated with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or external funding.

Name

URSA Shipbrokers

Legal name

URSA Shipbrokers

Website

https://ursashipbrokers.gr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

URSA Shipbrokers is a privately-held Piraeus-based ship brokerage firm specializing in dry cargo chartering (Handysize to Kamsarmax) and ship sale and purchase services for international shipowners, operators, and charterers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Shipbrokerage Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk & Commodity Freight Brokerage (Dry Bulk) (TLADAMAK)

Keywords

• Shipbrokerage services
• Dry cargo chartering
• Ship sale and purchase
• Shipping consultancy
• Bulk carrier research

Headquarters

HQ city

Piraeus

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chartering Services: Commission-based dry cargo chartering services, specializing in Handysize to Kamsarmax vessel markets. Brokers facilitate fixture negotiations between shipowners and charterers.
2. Sale & Purchase Broking: Commission-based ship sale and purchase brokerage services covering dry bulk carriers and other vessel segments, including newbuilding, secondhand, and recycling transactions.
3. Consultancy Services: Advisory services drawing on the firm's market expertise and analysis capabilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

URSA Shipbrokers is a shipbroking firm that provides dry cargo chartering brokerage services covering Handysize to Kamsarmax vessels, brokering ship sale and purchase transactions including newbuilding, secondhand, and recycling, and offering consultancy services for the dry bulk shipping market. The firm supports these offerings with a research team producing original market insights, URSABLOG content, and protected weekly route and price benchmark assessments.

Product overview

URSA Shipbrokers is a traditional shipbroking firm providing a unified suite of dry bulk shipping services. The core offering consists of Dry Cargo Chartering (Handysize to Kamsarmax) and Sale & Purchase brokerage, supported by Consultancy and Research services. The company also publishes URSABLOG for market insights and offers protected weekly Route Assessments and Bulk Carrier Price Benchmarks for market intelligence. Operations and post-fixture services complete the service lifecycle from deal initiation through execution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dry Cargo Chartering Chartering brokerage services covering Handysize to Kamsarmax dry cargo vessels for shipowners, operators, and charterers, facilitating fixture negotiations and supported by a dedicated operations and post-fixture team.
• Sale & Purchase (S&P) Broking Ship sale and purchase brokerage services concentrating on dry bulk carriers while also active in other market sectors, covering newbuilding, secondhand, and recycling transactions.
• Consultancy Services Advisory services drawing on dry bulk shipping market expertise to provide strategic guidance for chartering and ship sale and purchase decisions for shipping industry clients.
• Operations & Post-Fixture Services Operational support and post-fixture management services ensuring smooth execution after deal closure, picking up where the fixing team leaves off.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fearnleys: Norwegian shipbroker with deep dry-bulk and S&P capabilities serving European shipowners, a similarly-sized specialist competitor to URSA in the dry-cargo chartering segment.
• Poten & Partners: US-based shipbroking firm active in dry-bulk and tanker chartering as well as S&P, competing with URSA for international charterer and shipowner mandates.
• G. Moundreas & Sons: Greek-based shipbroker active in dry-cargo chartering and S&P for Greek and international clients, the closest geographic peer to URSA given shared Piraeus location.
• Simpson Spence Young (SSY): Independent global shipbroker active in dry-bulk chartering and S&P, with strong relationships in the Greek and European shipowner community, directly comparable to URSA's boutique shipbroking model.
• Lorentzen & Stemoco: Norwegian shipbroking firm offering dry-bulk chartering and S&P services, similar in boutique character and service mix to URSA.
• BRS (Barry Rogliano Salles): French shipbroking house covering dry-bulk chartering and S&P, competing directly with URSA in the European shipowner marketplace.
• Howe Robinson Partners: Independent shipbroking firm with established dry-cargo chartering and S&P desks serving European clients, comparable in size and service mix to URSA.

Broad incumbents

• Clarkson PLC (Clarksons): The largest global shipbroker, offering comprehensive chartering, S&P, research and offshore services across all vessel segments including dry bulk, where it competes directly with URSA's core offering.
• Braemar (Braemar Shipping Services): Major London-listed shipbroker covering chartering, S&P and consultancy across dry bulk, tankers and offshore, overlapping directly with URSA's Handysize-to-Kamsarmax dry-bulk chartering and S&P services.

Emerging players

• Veson Nautical: Maritime technology and data platform that provides freight management and market intelligence to shipowners and charterers, an indirect competitor that could disintermediate traditional shipbrokers like URSA by digitising rate benchmarking and fixture workflows.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ursa-shipbrokers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 URSA Shipbrokers