A1 MARINE VESSELS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
05695569 · ltd · incorporated 2006-02-02
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 Feb 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
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 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
57 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
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
90
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 · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-02-28 | 2024-02-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 100 | 100 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal 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 (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-21📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2025-04-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-17📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-10-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-10-26📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2021-10-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-10-17📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-07-11📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-08-14📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2018-07-31➖LAWS, Ian resigneddirector
- 2010-10-01➖WHEATLY, Andrew resignedsecretary
- 2009-03-01➕WHEATLEY, Andrew appointeddirector
- 2007-08-03➕WHEATLEY, Andrew appointedsecretary
- 2007-08-03➖MURRAY, Valerie resignedsecretary
- 2007-08-03➖MACKENOW, Brian Anthony resigneddirector
- 2007-07-16➕WHEATLY, Andrew appointedsecretary
- 2007-07-02➕LAWS, Ian appointeddirector
- 2006-02-02🏢Company incorporatedAs A1 MARINE VESSELS LIMITED
- 2006-02-02➕MURRAY, Valerie appointedsecretary
- 2006-02-02➕MACKENOW, Brian Anthony appointeddirector
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 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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 Andrew Wheatley Individual · British · DOB 02/1978 · age 48 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Ian Lawsceased 31/07/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Transport & logistics · SR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABLETRANSFER LIMITED→ 02891885 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
| AJ LAWRENCE LOGISTICS LTD→ 16096110 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AM ROBSON LOGISTICS LTD→ 16627815 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AMAX ASSIST LIMITED→ 15932501 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ANDREW BENNETT LOGISTICS LTD→ 16245766 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| APG LOGISTICS & ENGINEERING LTD→ 15970514 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| APPLEBEEZ PROPERTY CLEARANCE LTD→ 15914991 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ARRIVA CYMRU LIMITED→ 00155374 · est 1919 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 106y | — | — |
| ARRIVA KENT & SURREY LIMITED→ 00114841 · est 1911 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 115y | — | — |
| ARRIVA KENT THAMESIDE LIMITED→ 02005266 · est 1986 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 40y | — | — |
| ARRIVA LIMITED→ 00347103 · est 1938 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 87y | — | — |
| ARRIVA LONDON NORTH LIMITED→ 02328559 · est 1988 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 37y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2006-02-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC52290 — Other transportation support activities
Registered office
3 The Glen
Ashbrooke
Sunderland
Tyne And Wear
SR2 7TX
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last: 2025-10-17
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
Active
WHEATLEY, Andrew→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2009-03-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MURRAY, Valerie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2006-02-02 · resigned 2007-08-03
WHEATLY, Andrew→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2007-07-16 · resigned 2010-10-01
LAWS, Ian→
Resigneddirector · ~70y · appointed 2007-07-02 · resigned 2018-07-31
MACKENOW, Brian Anthony→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 2006-02-02 · resigned 2007-08-03
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (57 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-06
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-10-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-04-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-07-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-11-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-24
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-10-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-10-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-27
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-10-26
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2021-10-26