A. P. SHIPPING LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
03190702 · ltd · incorporated 1996-04-25
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other transportation support activities
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 30.0y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 30.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
77 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1400 | 1300 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
3 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-11📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-05-11📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-11-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-05📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2021-05-05📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-03-06📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2018-02-23🔒Charge registered #2Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2018-01-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 1996-06-18🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1996-04-26➕JAGGER, Barbara appointedsecretary
- 1996-04-26➕PELHAM, Antony appointeddirector
- 1996-04-26➖SCALE LANE FORMATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1996-04-26➖SCALE LANE REGISTRARS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1996-04-25🏢Company incorporatedAs A. P. SHIPPING LIMITED
- 1996-04-25➕SCALE LANE FORMATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1996-04-25➕SCALE LANE REGISTRARS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
85/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 30 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 30 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 30 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Antony Pelham Individual · English · DOB 03/1969 · age 57 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 24/04/2017 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Tyler Pelhamceased 01/05/2023· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Transport & logistics · HU postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 966 CARS LIMITED→ 11346225 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| A C DICKINSON INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT LIMITED→ 04851380 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| A P SHIPPING CUSTOMS CLEARANCE LIMITED→ 13658641 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A.M.TRANS LTD→ 09301416 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| A.P.L. (HUMBERSIDE) HAULAGE LIMITED→ 01292449 · est 1976 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 49y | — | — |
| A&A 11 LTD→ 14805145 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| A&G DELIVERY LTD→ 16120732 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A&N TRANS LTD→ 16200555 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABBEY TRAVEL COACH HIRE LIMITED→ 04250054 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| ACW HAULAGE LTD→ 13424848 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ADAR HAULAGE LTD→ 16045967 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADERAM LOGISTICS LTD→ 15017455 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1996-04-25
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC52290 — Other transportation support activities
Registered office
Britannic House
279 Chanterlands Avenue
Hull
North Humberside
HU5 4DS
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-11
Last: 2025-06-27
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
Active
PELHAM, Antony→
Activedirector · ~57y · appointed 1996-04-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SCALE LANE FORMATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1996-04-25 · resigned 1996-04-26
SCALE LANE REGISTRARS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1996-04-25 · resigned 1996-04-26
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 23/02/2018 | — | |
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Mortgage debenture | 1 property | 18/06/1996 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (77 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-11
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-05-11
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-05-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-06
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2021-05-05