As traffic in the Strait of Hormuz continues to be disrupted during the months-long Iran war, one company is benefitting from the global trade chaos.<\/p>\n
Clarkson, the world\u2019s largest shipbroker, reported its best-ever operating profit of \u00a364.8 million ($87 million) for the six months ending June 30, a more than 55% increase from a year ago. The UK-based company founded in 1852 saw a nearly 40% increase in revenue to \u00a3413.5 million ($555.5 million).<\/p>\n
CEO Andi Case attributed the jump to worldwide changes in supply chains as a result of the Iran war, increasing demand for companies like Clarkson. Shipbrokers are third-party firms that liaise between ship-owners, such as Maersk, and cargo-holders, like retailers.<\/p>\n
\u201cClarksons delivered a record first half performance, reflecting both the investment into our underlying business and the exceptional volatility caused by the disruption to global trade from global conflict including the situation in the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d Case wrote in a statement<\/a> on Monday. \u201cWe expect the full year performance of the Group to be materially ahead of market expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the disruptions have \u201ccreated a pronounced shock across global shipping markets\u201d that have reshaped trade routes and caused a \u201cperiod of operational dislocation\u201d followed by an increase in both freight rates and hedging activity.<\/p>\n Since the onset of the war in February, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has dwindled from its pre-war rate of more than 100 ships per day passing through the chokepoint to about 33 today<\/a>, according to maritime data tracker Kpler.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite President Donald Trump signalling the resumption of peace talks<\/a> after canceling a renewed offensive against Iran, disruptions in the area look to continue, with Tehran expanding the war<\/a> across the Gulf region.<\/p>\n That includes Yemen\u2019s Houthi movement blockading Saudi Arabian maritime traffic near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Ukraine\u2019s drone attacks on Russia<\/a> have also suspended shipping to Black Sea<\/a> ports and trade corridors key for grain exports.<\/p>\n These supply-chain upheavals have mounted pressures on certain industries like aviation, where jet fuel costs have soared<\/a>, and agriculture, which has dealt with shortages of key chemicals<\/a> used in fertilizers as a result of Strait of Hormuz closures. But as those sectors try to cope, companies like Clarkson thrive.<\/p>\n \u201cIn any market, any disruptions, obviously, create some kind of a zero-sum game,\u201d Jean-Paul Rodrigue, a professor of maritime business administration at Texas A&M University at Galveston, told Fortune. \u201cThat is, some actors are losing and the others are gaining the equivalent loss.\u201d<\/p>\n Why Clarkson is winning big in times of geopolitical chaos<\/p>\n According to Rodrigue, the shipbroker\u2019s record-breaking earnings are a matter of simple supply and demand: With fewer ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the need increases for third parties like Clarkson, which can help connect retailers to ships actually able to transport goods. <\/p>\n Like any broker, companies like Clarkson receive a share of the transactions between the two parties. So when the cost of shipping increases, a brokerage\u2019s share likewise increases.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have geopolitical instability, of course, it disrupts the market,\u201d Rodrigue said. \u201cIt creates uncertainty. It creates a lack of knowledge because nobody knows what the hell is happening. Uncertainty therefore, actually increases the importance of such firms because people are getting a bit more desperate.\u201d<\/p>\n But uncertainty doesn\u2019t always mean winning big. In March 2025, ahead of the Trump administration\u2019s steep tariffs and amid continued conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Clarkson said the trade tensions would have an adverse impact on revenues<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n