Richardson Lawrie Associates

What Richardson Lawrie Associates does

Richardson Lawrie Associates Ltd (RLA) is an independent maritime consultancy founded in 1987 in London by Jacqueline Richardson and Charles Lawrie, now operating as a subsidiary of the Wade Maritime Group. The firm delivers advisory, market intelligence, and training services across commercial shipping sectors including oil tankers, gas carriers (VLGCs and LPG), chemical carriers, dry bulk, and bunkers. Its customer base spans ship owners and operators, charterers, oil and gas majors, chemical producers, port and canal authorities (e.g., Panama Canal Authority), financial institutions, governments, and maritime law firms.

RLA's product architecture is organized into three integrated pillars. The first is a subscription-based Market Intelligence suite covering Oil Tanker Market (Short and Medium Term Outlook), Gas Carrier Market (VLGC and LPG reports), and Chemical Carrier World, delivered at Standard, Plus ($70/month), Premium ($90/month), and Optima tiers. The second is a Specialist Training catalogue of eight instructor-led courses on laytime and demurrage, chartering, LNG shipping, LPG value chains, bunker operations, chemical transportation, bills of lading, and loss control, offered virtually and in classroom settings with Singapore MPA MCF grant eligibility. The third is bespoke Advisory including Strategic Advisory and Execution (fleet and cargo coverage, feasibility, business case development, business model design), Customised Solutions (pool revenue distribution systems across eight market-leading pools, due diligence, traffic studies, expert witness services via BEWA-credentialed professionals), and Market Research/Forecasting/Competitor Benchmarking/Market Risk Analysis.

RLA generates revenue through professional services fees for advisory mandates, recurring subscription income for syndicated and bespoke market reports, and per-course or in-house training fees. The firm is delivered by senior practitioners — Master Mariners, Chief Engineers, and Maritime Economists with three-decade individual tenures — and serves clients globally from offices in London, Mohali, and Singapore, leveraging the Wade Maritime Group network for referrals and shared infrastructure.

Name

Richardson Lawrie Associates

Legal name

Richardson Lawrie Associates Ltd

Website

https://richardsonlawrie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Richardson Lawrie Associates is a London-headquartered maritime consultancy founded in 1987, providing bespoke advisory, subscription market intelligence, and specialist training across oil tankers, gas carriers, chemical carriers, and dry bulk shipping for enterprise clients including shipowners, charterers, energy majors, and governments worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Consultancy

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Service Provider Coordination (Diving, Inspection, Class/Survey Support) (TLAHAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Maritime Safety, Security & Compliance (STCW/ISM/ISPS) (EDAOANAD)

Keywords

• Maritime consultancy
• Shipping market intelligence
• Tanker market reports
• Marine commercial advisory
• Shipping industry training

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Advisory Services: Consulting engagements providing strategic advisory, fleet and cargo coverage strategy, business case development, feasibility analyses, due diligence, expert witness services, and project advice across all commercial shipping sectors.
2. Market Intelligence Subscriptions: Subscription-based access to market reports including Oil Tanker Market (Short and Medium Term Outlook), VLGC Market, LPG Carrier Market, and Chemical Carrier World. Reports include detailed statistical analysis, forecasts, and data tables. Available in Standard, Plus, and Premium tiers.
3. Specialist Training Programs: Public and bespoke training courses covering laytime and demurrage, chartering, LNG shipping, LPG value chain, bunker operations, chemical transportation, and loss control. Courses offered in virtual and classroom formats. Some programs approved for Singapore MPA MCF grant.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Richardson Lawrie Associates is a maritime consultancy providing commercial advisory, market intelligence subscription reports (oil tankers, gas carriers, chemical carriers), and specialist training to ship owners, operators, oil majors, banks, and government clients. It also offers customised analytical solutions such as pool revenue distribution and due diligence support.

Product overview

Richardson Lawrie Associates (RLA) is an independent, international maritime consultancy firm providing a full spectrum of specialist services across all commercial shipping sectors. Its product and service portfolio is organized into three integrated pillars: (1) Market Intelligence subscription reports (Oil Tanker Market Reports, Gas Carrier Market Reports, and Chemical Carrier World), delivered at multiple forecast horizons (Short Term, Medium Term, and Annual) with tiered subscription levels; (2) a Specialist Training catalogue of 8 instructor-led courses covering Laytime & Demurrage, Tanker/Chartering topics, LNG Shipping, LPG Value Chain, Bunker Operations, Chemical Transportation, Bills of Lading, and Loss Control; and (3) Advisory services spanning Strategic Advisory & Execution (Fleet & Cargo Strategy, Feasibility Studies, Business Case Development, Business Model & Commercial Processes), Customised Solutions (Pool Revenue Distribution Systems, Due Diligence, Project Advice, Traffic Studies, Expert Witness), and Market Intelligence (Research & Forecasting, Competitor Benchmarking, Market Risk Analysis). All offerings share RLA's 35+ years of maritime domain expertise, proprietary models, and international analyst networks, with clients accessing reports, training, and advisory through offices in London, India, and Singapore.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oil Tanker Market Reports Subscription market intelligence report covering the oil tanker shipping segment, providing commercial data and analysis for ship owners, operators, oil majors, and financial clients.
• Gas Carrier Market Reports Subscription market intelligence report covering the gas carrier shipping segment, providing commercial data and analysis for ship owners, operators, and energy-sector clients.
• Chemical Carrier World (CCW) Market intelligence publication covering the chemical carrier shipping segment, providing tailored commercial analysis for chemical tanker operators and related stakeholders.
• Strategic Advisory Services Consultancy service providing strategic advisory to ship owners, operators, oil majors, and financial institutions on commercial maritime decisions.
• Customised Solutions (Pool Revenue Distribution, Due Diligence, etc.) Bespoke analytical and consulting services such as pool revenue distribution modelling and due diligence support, tailored to individual client requirements in maritime commercial operations.
• Specialist Training Programmes Specialist training courses delivered to maritime industry professionals, covering shipping commercial topics such as chartering, market analysis, and related subjects.

Named customers8 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Wade Maritime GroupcoreOthersWade Maritime Group (WMG) is the parent company of Richardson Lawrie Associates. RLA is part of the WMG which provides technological and strategic support, enabling RLA to leverage an extensive international network while maintaining its specialized independent consultancy approach.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Poten & Partners: Specialist shipbroker and consultancy focused on tankers and gas carriers, providing freight market intelligence, chartering advisory, and pool-related services. Overlaps with RLA's tanker/gas advisory, market intelligence, and pool revenue distribution work.
• Drewry Maritime Research: Independent maritime research and consultancy firm providing shipping market reports, forecasting, and supply chain advisory across container, dry bulk, tanker and other sectors. Closely comparable to RLA in providing subscription-based maritime market intelligence and bespoke advisory to ship owners, charterers and financial institutions.
• Maritime Strategies International (MSI): Boutique maritime consultancy providing strategic and commercial advisory, market research, and forecasting services to shipping, finance, and energy clients. Highly comparable to RLA's strategic advisory and custom research offerings, with overlapping coverage of tankers and gas carriers.
• Affinity Research: Independent shipping research house providing market reports and consultancy to ship owners, banks and charterers. Comparable to RLA's subscription-based market intelligence and bespoke advisory in tankers and gas.
• Arrow Research: Shipping market research and advisory firm focused on tanker and gas carrier markets. Comparable to RLA's specialized tanker and gas carrier market intelligence and forecasting offerings.
• AXSMarine: Maritime data and software provider offering shipping market intelligence, freight rate benchmarking and analytics. Comparable to RLA's data subscription and freight benchmarking offerings, with a more software/data-centric delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Fearnleys: Norwegian shipbroker and shipping research firm with deep expertise in tankers, gas, and offshore. Comparable to RLA's tanker and gas market intelligence and advisory, with a broader Scandinavian client base.
• Braemar ACM (Braemar PLC): Multinational shipbroker with research, technical and consultancy services across shipping, including tankers and gas. Comparable to RLA's market intelligence and advisory scope, but at materially larger scale.
• Simpson Spence Young (SSY): Independent shipbroking group with research, consultancy, and chartering services across tankers, dry bulk, and gas. Comparable to RLA's tanker/gas advisory and market intelligence scope but with a larger broking-led platform.
• Clarksons Research (Clarkson PLC): World's largest shipbroking and shipping research firm offering comprehensive market intelligence, consultancy, and advisory across all commercial shipping sectors. Directly comparable to RLA's market intelligence, pool-related advisory, and strategic advisory offerings, but with significantly broader scale and an integrated research/database platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/richardson-lawrie-associates-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Richardson Lawrie Associates