Global Maritime Expertise.
Local UK Presence.

Part of the Worms Group — an established international maritime network providing trusted ship agency and logistics services worldwide.

About Worms SM UK

Worms UK provides comprehensive ship agency and maritime support services across major ports throughout the United Kingdom.

Backed by more than a century of experience through the Worms Group, we combine local expertise with a global network to ensure every port call is handled smoothly, safely, and efficiently.

Working alongside Burger Feron — the appointed UK agency for Pacific International Lines (PIL) — we also provide local commercial, documentation, and customer support for PIL’s global liner services, including assistance with X-Trade movements and international cargo coordination.

Our team works closely with shipowners, operators, and charterers to deliver a full range of agency solutions — from liner and tramp services to cruise operations and project logistics.

Years of Experience

Port Agencies

Calls Per Year

+ 0

Through a long-established network across France and the Mediterranean, Worms Services Maritimes delivers exceptional expertise and round-the-clock logistical command — 24 hours a day, all year round.

Our Group

Worms Services Maritimes, chaired by Alexandre Cour, has been a recognised leader in ship agency and maritime logistics for over 170 years, with offices in France and a wide network of subsidiaries across Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and now the United Kingdom.

The Group provides a complete range of liner and tramp agency services, handling all types of vessels and cargoes, along with a broad portfolio of related activities including forwarding, logistics, customs clearance, and bonded warehousing.

Our main sectors of activity

Our Group

Through a long-established network across France and the Mediterranean, Worms Services Maritimes delivers exceptional expertise and round-the-clock logistical command — 24 hours a day, all year round.

Our main sectors of activity

Comprehensive Shipping Services

Comprehensive Agency and Coordination Solutions

As part of the global Worms network, Worms UK provides access to a full suite of maritime services designed to meet the highest international standards:

Port Agency Services

Professional attendance for all vessel types.

Liner Services

Dedicated representation and coordination for scheduled lines.

Tramp & Project Cargo

Tailored support for bulk, breakbulk, and heavy-lift operations.

Cruise & Yacht Services

End-to-end coordination for passenger and private vessels.

Hub & Coordination Support

Integrated operations through Worms’ international management network.

Logistics & Documentation Assistance

Customs formalities, cargo documentation, and logistics planning.

Our History

A Heritage Anchored in Maritime Excellence

For over 170 years, Worms Services Maritimes has played a defining role in the evolution of global shipping — a legacy built on innovation, integrity, and enduring partnerships across the world’s ports.

1848

Maison Worms starts trading in the International English Coal and Maritime Services

Hypolite Worms (1801-1877), as founder of Maison Worms that bears his name, embarks in the international trade of English coal. In order to charter the ships to carry the ore out of the U K and prevent them from returning empty, the French and British branches were called upon to offer their services as shipping agents.

1856

Forming his own fleet

Hypolite Worms decides to form his own fleet not to be dependent on shipowners any more. The first unit named "Séphora", from the name of his wife, is acquired in 1856. With the "Sauternes" being phased in 1900, naming the ships from renowned Bordeaux wines becomes customary; the ships dedicated to the transport of heavy lifts are named after the cities of Normandy. The last Worms coaster is sold in 1968.

1859-1869

Liner Services to Germany and Belgium are launched

With the opening of the Bordeaux-Le Havre-Hamburg (1859) and Bordeaux-Antwerp (1869) lines, Maison Worms is focusing its cabotage network on routes between France and Northern Europe. By supplying coal to shipping companies’ coal stations all over the world, the major European shipowners became part of Worms Services Maritimes portfolio.

1869

Foundation of the Port Said branch

Active in Egypt since 1851, Maison Worms supplies coal for the steam excavators used by the company in charge of digging the Suez Canal. In July 1869, four months before the inauguration of this new "waterway", the Port Said and Suez branches are opened to supply coal bunkers to the ships and provide the shipowners with the full range of maritime services.

1891

A branch is opened in Algiers

Through the Schiaffino shipping company, Worms & Cie opens a branch in Algiers, where it supplies the French Navy ships with bunkers. Close links will be maintained with this company until it disappears in the 1990s. Maison Worms built several of her ships in the shipyard of its own and managed in Normandy, near Rouen, between 1917 and 1966.

1929

Worms Shipping Group is set up

929 Worms shipping Group is set up Between 1929 and 1934, Worms & Cie boosts back the Compagnie Havraise Peninsulaire which will become Nochap or NCHP as one of its subsidiaries whose management will be in the hands of the Worms Services Maritimes until it is sold in 1986. During the inter-war period, Maison Worms gave birth to the French Company of Petroleum Transport - SFTP which will be sold to Compagnie Maritime Belge together with the entire shipowning Group in 1997.

1946

A branch is opened in Casablanca

After the Second World War, Worms & Co. is back to sea transport by opening liner services to Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. An agency is opened in Casablanca in 1946 and new vessels are phased in for this trade while ports in North Europe are served by chartered vessels. Decolonization movements combined with rail and road competition led to the dismantling of the cabotage network in the late 1960s.

1956-1962

A partnership in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco is established

Following the nationalization of the Suez Canal (1956), the independence of Tunisia (1957) followed by Algeria (1962), Worms & Cie is gradually developing a partnership with Egyptian, Tunisian and Algerian similar companies. The state monopoly implemented by the Algerian Government on maritime transport by the 1976 constitution however prompted Maison Worms to withdraw until 1998 when the government decided to open again the sector to private companies.

1975

Worms Services Maritimes is formed

The General Management of the maritime services takes the form of an independent company under the name of Worms Services Maritimes. Thanks to its organization, its network established in most of the French and the East Mediterranean ports, its commercial potential and its highly qualified staff, Worms Services Maritimes can assist the shipowners and deal with all the importers’ and exporters’ requirements in terms of transport.

Our Network

A Global Maritime Network Built on Heritage and Reliability

Worms UK forms part of the Worms Agencies Network, serving clients through a unified structure across Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. Our connection to these long-established branches allows us to deliver local expertise supported by the full strength of a global organisation.

Our key locations

Egypt - Providing full agency services across major ports, including Port Said and Suez.
Morocco - Lasry Maroc delivers flexible agency and logistics support nationwide.
Algeria - Walship and GASS offer complete coverage across all Algerian ports.
Tunisia - Trusted local partners provide reliable agency services countrywide.

Our Guarantees

At Worms, our reputation has been built on sound management, professionalism, and trust. Our mission is to deliver the highest quality of service, meeting — and often exceeding — client expectations while anticipating operational challenges before they arise. To achieve this, we are committed to:

Implementing efficient and harmonised procedures across all activities
Ensuring fast and reliable communication with every partner
Providing adapted answers to all requests,
Making tailored, competitive solutions
Maintaining strict ethical standards, transparency, and confidentiality

These principles guide every Worms operation worldwide, from the ports of France to the growing UK base.

Accreditations & Memberships

Worms Services Maritimes holds several major international accreditations and memberships, underscoring its commitment to safety, compliance, and quality:

Full Authorized Economic Operator status for customs, safety, and security since 2012, ensuring secure and efficient trade operations.

Certified by the Federation of National Associations of Ship Brokers and Agents, confirming consistent compliance and service quality.

Active member of the French Shipping Agents Association and French Maritime Cluster, maintaining up-to-date regulatory and procedural standards.

Insured with the International Transport Intermediaries Club, the leading provider of professional liability cover for the maritime transport sector.

Get in Touch

For enquiries, quotations, or operational coordination, please contact our UK team:

Chris Hardy

Commercial

Rosemary Tibaua-Hardy

Sales

Emma Whitfield

Admin/Docs

Global Maritime Expertise.
Local UK Presence.

About Worms SM UK

Worms UK provides comprehensive ship agency and maritime support services across major ports throughout the United Kingdom.

Through a long-established network across France and the Mediterranean, Worms Services Maritimes delivers exceptional expertise and round-the-clock logistical command — 24 hours a day, all year round.

Our Group

Our main sectors of activity

Our Group

Through a long-established network across France and the Mediterranean, Worms Services Maritimes delivers exceptional expertise and round-the-clock logistical command — 24 hours a day, all year round.

Our main sectors of activity

Comprehensive Shipping Services