Consultancy & Research

Consultancy and research are central to our services. We provide our brokers and their clients with independent, forward thinking market research and analysis to enable informed decision making.

Our team of analysts make sense of the huge volumes of data circulating in the market providing insight into complex issues, reacting to changes in supply, demand and geopolitics.

Consultancy & Research in numbers

50k

Ocean going cargo vessels in operation

10k+

Number of shipowners

74m

Barrels per day 2024 seaborne oil flows

Key Consultancy & Research services

Supply & Demand Forecasts

Our in house forecasting models take account of macroeconomic and trade developments to give an unbiased long term view of market fundamentals. We produce bespoke forecasts which account for specific client needs.

Future Fuel, Decarbonisation & Regulation

We help clients understand the regulatory landscape and advise on solutions to comply with regulation and meet their decarbonisation strategy.

Data Services

Our diverse maritime data sets range from vessel supply and specifications data, to market related fixture and freight rate information. We provide data in a range of formats including as an API.

Consulting & Advisory

Our team provide bespoke consulting services which leverage the in house expertise of Gibson’s brokers and analysts. We provide feasibility studies, strategy advice and long term forecasts and work with a network of industry experts to deliver any project which our clients require.

Consultancy & Research team

Brendan Bos

Market Analyst

Department: Consultancy & Research

Location: London

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David Olude

KYC and Compliance Analyst

Department: Broker Support

Location: London

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Gordon Collen

Market Analyst

Department: Consultancy & Research

Location: London

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7667 1230

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Lakshmy Soman

Data Researcher

Department: Consultancy & Research

Location: London

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Matt Coates

Research Analyst

Department: Consultancy & Research

Location: London

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Richard Matthews

Director

Department: Consultancy & Research

Location: London

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Richard Myers

Data Manager

Department: Consultancy & Research

Location: London

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Shashank Sagar

Research Analyst

Department: Consultancy & Research

Location: Mumbai

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Svetlana Kourmpeti

Senior Market Analyst

Department: Consultancy & Research

Location: London

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Propelling maritime trade through excellence in shipping services.

With over 130 years of experience and a global network of industry connections, we are your trusted partner in shipbroking and advisory services.

Tankers

From crude oil to refined products we facilitate the chartering and brokerage of tankers.

LPG, Ammonia & Petrochemical Gases

Leveraging expertise, we ensure seamless transportation of liquefied gases.

Sale & Purchase

Facilitating the acquisition, divestiture and value optimisation of shipping vessels.

Specialised & Chemical Tankers

Offering specialised solutions, we manage the chartering and brokerage of chemical tankers.

Projects & Time Charter

Catering for the specific needs of clients in project and time charter requirements.

Consultancy & Research

Providing valuable insights and strategic advice to empower our clients with market intelligence and analysis.

LNG

Facilitating chartering solutions to ensure the efficient and secure transportation of LNG.

Dry Cargo

Managing and actioning the chartering and brokerage of dry bulk commodities.

Gibson Capital

Gibson Capital provides specialised maritime finance and advisory services.

Discover more weekly reports

Tanker Market Report 06.11.26

Mid Term Fallout

Following weeks of uncertainty, the Democrats have won both the House and the Senate in Tuesday’s midterms. In the Senate, six Republican seats flipped: Texas, South Carolina, Kansas, Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina, with the new Congress sitting from 3rd January. With this new political reality in Washington, attention now turns to how it will affect the Trump administration, given its significant influence on both the oil and tanker markets this year.

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Tanker Market Report 30.10.26

Freight Squeezes Naphtha Arb

The war in the Middle East has upended Asia’s naphtha market. With the Gulf normally supplying over half of Asia’s imports, the March halt at Hormuz forced buyers to pay up for Western barrels. The wide East-West spread had kept Western naphtha flowing East, accounting for around 70% of Asia’s naphtha import volume.

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Tanker Market Report 23.10.26

Diesel, Drones and Donald

The Trump administration has been busy easing sanctions over the past couple of weeks. On 9 October, OFAC issued General License 135. It allows the sale, delivery and import into the US of Russian-origin diesel until 7 April 2027. On 16 October, Trump waived the main measures of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which he signed on 18 September. Last week, news also emerged that the administration was considering easing shadow fleet sanctions.

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Tanker Market Report 16.10.26

Clean Slate?

The US is weighing a waiver that would let tankers sanctioned for links to Russia, Iran or Venezuela carry non-sanctioned oil, or be sold to mainstream owners, in a bid to bring down record freight rates and move more crude and products out of the Middle East Gulf.

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Tanker Market Report 09.10.26

Damage Control

Last week, tanker attacks in the Middle East hit their highest levels since the war began and that pace has continued this week. Further, in the past 48 hours, attacks have broadened to the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Gulf, expanding beyond the Hormuz chokepoint. Since the war started, Gibson has tracked 95 attacks on tankers in the region, including Iranian trading tonnage. The actual number is likely higher due to suppressed reporting. Damage has ranged from superficial to severe, with some vessels requiring extensive repairs or being lost entirely.

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Tanker Market Report 02.10.26

Running Out of Room?

US crude exports have grown strongly in recent years, making the US a key source of global crude supply. This raises the question of how much export capacity the US actually has. According to Kpler data, exports peaked at around 5.2 mbd in Q2, when releases from the US SPR lifted volumes by close to 1.3 mbd, or more than 30%, on the previous quarter. This shows both the scale of implied US export capacity and how flexibly it responds to market conditions.

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Tanker Market Report 25.09.26

Clean Catchup

The global CPP market remains firmly supported this week, with the same forces driving the crude complex now clearly visible in clean products — chief among them the ongoing risk to transits through the Strait of Hormuz. Rates have risen across the clean fleet, cargo flows continue to reroute around disrupted Middle Eastern supply chains, and refiners globally are running hard to capture historically strong margins.

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Tanker Market Report 18.09.26

VLCCs Rewrite the Record Books

The VLCC markets reached unprecedented levels this week, with TD3C surging above $1.2mn/day, TD34 climbing over $750,000/day and TD22 reaching around $400,000/day on an Eco basis. The rally has been driven primarily by increasingly severe geopolitical disruption.

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Tanker Market Report 11.09.26

Africa’s Refining Pipeline

The history of African refining is chequered, to say the least. Of the many refinery developments that have been announced over the past decade, most stalled in their initial stages and few have made it to completion. Once built, problems have not let up, and refineries often struggle with consistently low utilisation as well as frequent outages.

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Tanker Market Report 04.09.26

The 65 Billion Barrel Deal

Last Friday, President Trump announced that the US had reached an agreement to control 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves in partnership with a little-known company called North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP). The company currently produces around 250kbd, making it the 2nd largest private producer in the country and has been granted 100-year concessions on 17 oil fields with proven reserves of 65 billion barrels.

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Tanker Market Report 28.08.26

No Margin for Error

US refinery maintenance typically peaks in October, a season that has historically weighed on freight. This year appears different with very little currently confirmed for the autumn, as robust margins keep refiners from taking units offline. Last week, US refinery utilisation clocked in at 97.4%, the highest level since 2018. This dynamic should keep product tankers well supported across the US Gulf through Q4.

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Tanker Market Report 21.08.26

Crossed Wakes

The crude vessel segments have crossed wakes this year — moving in different directions even as they share the same waters. Crude ton-miles softened overall in 2026 to date, though Suezmaxes and Aframaxes picked up share even as VLCCs came under pressure.

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Tanker Market Report 14.08.26

Running Low

Panama Canal auction prices have hit record highs this month, driven by falling Gatun Lake water levels and an intensifying El Niño. Water levels are indeed falling ahead of the dry season and have now slipped below the long-term average for this time of year.

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