What Mb Shipbrokers does

MB Shipbrokers K/S, formerly Maersk Broker, is a Copenhagen-headquartered global shipbroking firm founded in 1914 by A.P. Møller and converted to employee ownership through a management buyout from the Mc-Kinney Møller family in December 2023. The firm operates from 14-15 offices across 15 countries with more than 250 brokers and staff, serving ship owners, charterers, financial institutions, oil majors, and investment funds across all major shipping segments — Container, Dry Bulk, Tanker, LNG/LPG, Chemical, and Offshore.

The firm's revenue rests on four pillars. Shipbroking generates commission-based fees from Sale & Purchase, Chartering (voyage, time, period), and Newbuilding transactions. Advisory Services — described as a maritime boutique-style consulting division — covers Decarbonisation (delivered through a 2024 strategic partnership with Azolla), Capital, Consultancy, and Corporate Finance, with senior executives holding 25+ years of maritime experience. Valuation Services conducts more than 10,000 independent vessel valuations annually, supported by an extensive comparable-transaction database and a digital Valuation Platform available via volume agreements or ad hoc requests. Research produces weekly reports, monthly fleet updates, and long-term forecasts, distributed via Flexmail-powered newsletters and serving as a thought leadership funnel.

The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales executed through globally positioned offices in major shipping hubs (Copenhagen, London, Athens, Bergen, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hanoi, Dubai, Seattle). Distribution is reinforced by segment-specialised desks, a Digitalisation Team building customer-facing digital tools, and a Research Team translating market data into client-facing intelligence. The company is privately held, GDPR-compliant, and operates under a five-member executive board led by CEO Anders Hald.

Name

Mb Shipbrokers

Legal name

MB Shipbrokers K/S

Website

https://mbshipbrokers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MB Shipbrokers is an employee-owned global shipbroking firm founded in 1914, operating 14-15 offices across 15 countries with 250+ brokers serving ship owners, charterers, financial institutions, and energy traders across all major shipping segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Shipbroking Commission: Commission-based revenue from facilitating fixtures including sale and purchase transactions, charter contracts (voyage, time, period charters), and newbuilding contracts. Remuneration is typically recorded in commission clauses in fixtures or specific commission agreements.
2. Valuation Services: Fees for vessel valuations across all major shipping segments. Can be arranged through volume agreements or ad hoc requests customized to client needs.
3. Advisory Services: Maritime boutique-style consulting including decarbonisation advisory, capital raising, consultancy, and corporate finance services.
4. Research Publications: Market intelligence reports, weekly reports, monthly fleet updates, and long-term forecasts provided to clients in shipping industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MB Shipbrokers is a global shipbroking company that intermediates the buying, selling, and chartering of vessels across all major shipping segments (Dry Bulk, Tanker, Container, LNG/LPG, Chemical, Offshore), provides independent vessel valuations, delivers maritime advisory services (decarbonisation, capital, consultancy, corporate finance), and publishes market research for ship owners, operators, charterers, and investors.

Product overview

MB Shipbrokers is a global shipbroking company offering a portfolio of interconnected services centred on four core pillars: Shipbroking (Sale & Purchase, Chartering, Newbuilding), Advisory Services (Decarbonisation, Capital, Consultancy, Corporate Finance), Valuation Services, and Research. The Shipbroking pillar is the core business, active in all major shipping segments (Container, Dry Bulk, Tanker, LNG/LPG, Offshore) and supported by dedicated sub-desks for each segment type. The Advisory Services pillar provides boutique-style consulting and financial services, with Decarbonisation delivered through a strategic partnership with Azolla. Valuation Services and Research support both pillars with proprietary data and market intelligence. The company operates from 14 offices across 15 countries and serves ship owners, charterers, and financial institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shipbroking Core shipbroking service covering all major shipping segments (Container, Dry Bulk, Tanker, LNG/LPG, and Offshore) with Sale & Purchase, Chartering, and Newbuilding offerings. Provides market brokerage, contract negotiation, and market intelligence to ship owners, charterers, and operators worldwide.
• Sale & Purchase Facilitates the buying and selling of vessels across all tonnage types including container vessels, bulk carriers, tankers, chemical tankers, LNG/LPG carriers, and offshore vessels. Includes sale/leaseback projects and green recycling/demolition services.
• Chartering Chartering brokerage covering voyage charters, time charters, period charter parties, and industrial contracts across Dry Bulk, Container, Tanker, LNG/LPG, and Chemical/Specialised segments. Includes sub-desks for Container Chartering, Tanker Chartering, Dry Bulk Chartering, Chemical & Specialised Tanker Chartering, and LNG/LPG Chartering.
• Newbuilding Newbuilding brokerage guiding clients through the global newbuilding process. Present in major newbuilding centres in China, South Korea, and Japan, providing technical, financial, and commercial assessment and negotiation support through to yard delivery.
• Advisory Services Maritime boutique-style consulting division offering Decarbonisation, Capital, Consultancy, and Corporate Finance services. Combines quantitative and qualitative analysis with long industry experience to help clients make strategic business decisions.
• Decarbonisation Energy Transition advisory and commercial services including ESD Retrofits, EU ETS Management/Procurement/Trading, FuelEU Maritime Compliance Pooling, alternative fuels analysis, policy and regulations guidance, and onboard energy efficiency consulting. Delivered through a strategic partnership with Azolla.
• Capital Innovative financial advice bridging asset owners with leasing institutions, banks, and investors. Analyses financing possibilities for assets, projects, and commercial platforms; provides finance and structure on ship leasing deals; includes negotiation support for alternative finance structures.
• Consultancy Tailored consultancy combining senior maritime expertise with analytical capabilities. Services include strategic M&A advisory, tailored market research, demand analysis, peer group analysis, and commercial due diligence for asset or loan acquisitions.
• Corporate Finance Capital raising services spanning seed capital to senior lending across virtually all financing stages. Works with a network of equity investors to identify optimal finance options, and offers refinancing and corporate debt services.
• Valuation Services Independent valuation of physical assets across all major shipping segments. Provides in excess of 10,000 yearly valuations using an extensive database of comparable transactions to assess market value. Delivered via a digital Valuation Platform through volume agreements or ad hoc requests.
• Research Market intelligence and data analysis providing up-to-date fleet and market intelligence for ship owners, operators, and investors. Covers Dry Bulk, Tanker, and Container sectors with weekly reports, monthly fleet updates, and longer-term forecasts and trend analyses based on macroeconomic trends and shipping data.

Quantifiable outcome

• Perform over 10,000 vessel valuations annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• AzollacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2024Strategic collaboration between MB Shipbrokers and Azolla to help shipping companies navigate the investment-heavy decarbonisation market. Together they deliver actionable decarbonisation strategies covering ESD Retrofits, EU ETS Management and Trading, and FuelEU Maritime Compliance Pooling. Azolla is a maritime engineering and project management company within the Synergy Marine Group with experience in 50+ ESD installations, 100+ Scrubber installations, and 50+ BWTS installations.
• NAODAN CharteringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership formed in 2019 with Seattle-based NAODAN Chartering to improve global presence and add competences within the Dry Cargo Business. Effective January 1, 2023, NAODAN Chartering was fully integrated into the global MB Shipbrokers Bulk Chartering Organization, strengthening position in the North American dry cargo market and the North Pacific Region.
• Wonsild DrystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Strategic partnership formed in 2015 to deliver better service and wider range of products within the dry bulk sector. Partnership extended MB Shipbrokers Bulk Chartering's reach into the US West Coast, West Coast Canada and Alaskan marketplace.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Braemar Shipping Services: Global shipbroker and maritime services group active in tanker, dry cargo, offshore, and sale & purchase brokerage, with integrated research and advisory capabilities. Directly comparable as a multi-segment, multi-office shipbroker competing for similar enterprise clients.
• Fearnleys: Norwegian-headquartered shipbroker and shipping investment bank offering shipbroking, sale & purchase, research, and ship finance advisory across all major segments. Comparable as a Nordic-rooted, full-service shipbroker with global reach.
• RS Platou: Norwegian shipbroker and ship finance advisor providing sale & purchase, chartering, newbuilding, and offshore services. Comparable as a Northern European-rooted, full-service shipbroker with global office network.
• Clarkson PLC: The largest publicly-listed global shipbroker, offering the same integrated portfolio of shipbroking, research, valuations, and advisory services across all shipping segments. Clarkson is the most direct competitor to MB Shipbrokers in Sale & Purchase, chartering, and valuations.
• Simpson Spence Young (SSY): Independent global shipbroker with offices in major shipping hubs, offering chartering, sale & purchase, research, and ship finance services. Directly comparable as a privately-held, multi-segment shipbroker competing in the same client set.
• BRS Group: International shipbroking group providing chartering, sale & purchase, and research across dry cargo, tankers, and offshore. Highly comparable as a full-service, multi-office shipbroker targeting ship owners, charterers, and financial institutions.
• Lorentzen & Stemoco: Norwegian independent shipbroker with global reach offering chartering, sale & purchase, and offshore brokerage services. Closely comparable to MB Shipbrokers' Nordic heritage and diversified segment coverage.
• Howe Robinson Partners: London-based international shipbroker offering chartering and sale & purchase services across tankers, dry cargo, and containers. Directly comparable as an independent shipbroker competing for similar global clientele.

Emerging players

• Veson Nautical: Provider of maritime software, freight management, and market data platforms serving ship owners, operators, and charterers. Compares as a digitally-native competitor whose data and workflow platforms could partially disintermediate traditional shipbrokers.

Broad incumbents

• A.P. Møller - Maersk: Former parent company of MB Shipbrokers (until December 2023) and a global shipping and logistics incumbent. Compares as the historic corporate parent and as a major shipping customer for sale & purchase, chartering, and valuation services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedIndk.linkedin.com/company/mbshipbrokers

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries12 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 Mb Shipbrokers