History
Sailing ships were still in use when the Clarksons story began in 1852. The business expanded rapidly, thanks to the dynamic leadership which has characterised Clarksons from then until the present day.
Becoming exclusive brokers to Esso in the USA in the 1920s helped establish Clarksons as the biggest tanker brokers in the world. We have since developed into a global conglomerate establishing a network of offices across five continents, providing an array of financial as well as port services, based on our core business of shipbroking and the provision of market intelligence - unrivalled in its scope - on the shipping and offshore industries.
Foreign Clerks And Volunteers
From the start, Clarksons was an international business. So, too, were the staff, especially when the company began inviting clients – from France, Germany, Italy and especially Scandinavia – to send their sons to spend a couple of years learning the business as 'Volunteers', so much so that prior to World War I (after which things inevitably changed) Clarksons' staff was as cosmopolitan as one of today’s Premier League football teams.
Image: Page from a list of Foreign Clerks and Volunteers.