Clarksons Research

Clarksons Research
Name	Clarksons Research
Type	Private company
Industry	Shipping research and brokerage
Founded	1852
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Products	Maritime intelligence, market reports, analytics, indices
Parent	Clarksons PLC

Clarksons Research is a maritime research and data provider affiliated with a historic London brokerage firm. It supplies intelligence to stakeholders across the shipping, finance, insurance, energy, and commodities sectors, informing decisions related to chartering, asset valuation, and trade flows. The organisation maintains extensive databases and indices used by institutions involved with ports, shipyards, banks, and investment funds.

History

Founded within a 19th‑century London shipping milieu, the organisation emerged amid the rise of global trade routes linked to Port of London, British Empire, East India Company (chartered company), RMS Titanic era shipping expansion, and the expansion of the Suez Canal era. Over decades it interacted with firms such as P&O, Cunard Line, Blue Funnel Line, White Star Line, and stakeholders including Lloyd's of London, Barclays, and HSBC. During the 20th century it navigated shifts from coal to oil linked to companies like Royal Dutch Shell and BP, survived disruptions from the World War I and World War II maritime campaigns, and adapted to containerisation popularised by Malcolm McLean and firms like Sea-Land Service. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries the firm partnered with naval financiers including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, and shipping banks affected by crises such as the 2008 financial crisis. Its datasets and indices reflected market shocks tied to events like the Oil Crisis of 1973 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Services and Products

The firm offers a portfolio used by corporations including Maersk, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, COSCO, Evergreen Marine Corporation, and Hapag-Lloyd. Core offerings include vessel databases employed by legal teams tied to International Maritime Organization, insurance underwriters at Aon, and reinsurance groups like Munich Re. Products span tanker and dry bulk assessments referenced by commodity houses such as Vitol, Glencore, and Trafigura, as well as LNG and offshore intelligence used by energy majors like ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, and Chevron. Publications and indices are cited by capital markets participants including FTSE Russell, Bloomberg L.P., and S&P Global.

Market Research and Data Analytics

Analytics workflows integrate satellite and AIS feeds used by satellite operators such as Inmarsat, Iridium Communications, and SpaceX (for launch services), alongside port call records from terminals at Port of Singapore, Port of Rotterdam, Port of Shanghai, Port of Hong Kong, and Port of Los Angeles. Data products inform asset managers at firms like BlackRock, Vanguard, and Carlyle Group; chartering desks at Stolt-Nielsen; and shipyards including Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. The organisation develops freight indices and time‑charter assessments paralleling indices from Baltic Exchange and interacts with maritime law firms such as HFW and Campbell Johnston Clark on valuations and disputes.

Industry Impact and Recognition

Its indices and reports are frequently cited in analyses by media outlets including Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Reuters, and The Economist. Academics at institutions like London School of Economics, University of Southampton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and National University of Singapore reference its datasets in research on trade and shipping logistics. Awards and honours in maritime circles include recognition at events hosted by Lloyd's List and industry gatherings such as Posidonia and SMM Hamburg where analytics providers and brokers convene alongside shipping CEOs like those from ZIM Integrated Shipping Services and NYK Line.

Corporate Structure and Ownership

Operating as the research arm of a larger public group, it is connected to a parent listed entity that engages with shareholders including institutional investors such as Blackstone Group and pension funds governed by regulations influenced by Financial Conduct Authority. Board interactions involve advisers with backgrounds at Drewry, Clarksons PLC (parent company), and partnerships with technology suppliers like Microsoft and SAP SE for enterprise systems. It collaborates with classification societies such as Lloyd's Register, DNV, and American Bureau of Shipping on technical datasets and compliance analytics.

Controversies and Criticism

Critiques have arisen around data transparency debated in forums hosted by International Chamber of Shipping and raised in investigative reporting by outlets such as The Guardian and BBC News. Questions around model assumptions have been discussed in academic critiques by scholars at University College London and Norwegian School of Economics, particularly following market dislocations like the 2008 financial crisis and freight volatility during the Suez Canal obstruction caused by Ever Given. Concerns about commercial influence surfaced in legal and regulatory contexts involving Competition and Markets Authority inquiries in the United Kingdom and oversight from European Commission competition directorates when major brokers and analytics providers consolidated services.

Category:Shipping companies of the United Kingdom Category:Maritime analytics