Dockendale Shipping was founded as a two ship shipowner 35 years ago by naval architect George Campbell. Over the past decade, under the watchful eye of his friend and successor Leslie J. Fernandes, the company has grown to a fleet of 29 vessels, manned by over 1,500 officers and crew and supported by offices in Nassau, Bahamas and Mumbai, India. A large chunk of Dockendale’s business in that period came through its association with the Clipper Group.

Dockendale’s origins date back to 1971 when Campbell unveiled the second of his standard ship designs, surprising the industry with a ship of the future. At the time, radical proposals like automated engine rooms and controllable-pitch propellers operated from the bridge had little precedent. To demonstrate faith in the design and build confidence among his clients, Campbell announced that he himself would buy and operate the first two vessels. To do so, Campbell established a ship management company in Nassau, Bahamas, in 1973. He named the new company for the 16th century Dockendale Hall, a farmhouse manor once owned by his family in the country town of Whickham on England’s River Tyne.
Two Fortune series ships were placed under Dockendale Shipping Company ownership, the first of the series, named ATTICA, and the fourth, named ATHOL for Campbell’s father. Campbell entrusted care of the company to his then Chief Engineer Leslie J. Fernandes, promoting him to general manager. Born in Kallianpur, a village near Mangalore on India’s west coast, Fernandes had joined the Indian Navy on graduation from college. In 1971, at age 37, he joined GTR Campbell as Chief Engineer, first aboard Attica, and then aboard Athol. Over the years, Fernandes and Campbell struck up a deep and lasting friendship. When its ships were bareboat chartered to Japanese interests in September 1973, Dockendale went dormant, and would lie sleeping for 12 years. Fernandes returned to Campbell’s Tokyo offices as GTRC’s resident surveyor in Japan and was appointed principal surveyor at IHI in 1976, overseeing construction of numerous Fortune, Freedom MkII and Friendship vessels until 1985. That year, after three decades of constant building, the end was in sight for GTR Campbell’s series ship activities in Japan.
In January 1986 Campbell, then 75, asked Fernandes to return to Nassau and reawaken Dockendale Shipping. Once again two ships were placed under Dockendale ownership, the 1984 built ARITA and 1978 built YORKTOWN, both Freedom MkII vessels.
By 1992, when Fernandes was elected President and CEO, Dockendale had grown its fleet to six ships. In the years since, the company has expanded to managing 28 modern dry bulk carriers, most of them designed or supervised by GTRC since 1994.
Dockendale’s self-described niche in the marine transportation industry is that of a mid-sized company managing highly automated dry cargo vessels. Much of the fleet is fairly young, a number of the ships being built on designs emerging from GTRC’s studio in the years since 1994:
20,700 dwt Stamford container-bulkers, 27,000 dwt Festiva bulkers, 29,300 dwt Fantasy container-bulkers, 34,000 dwt Valiant bulkers, 30,000 dwt Trader bulkers, 37,000 dwt Sakura bulkers and 51,000 dwt Galaxy bulkers.

Most of the ships managed by Dockendale have been registered in the Bahamas. Dockendale have constructed an Upscale Multimillion Dollar Office Building overlooking Nassau Harbour entrance where Clipper has purchased an entire floor. Dockendale Shipping presently manages vessels for Clipper, Campbell Shipping and M.U.R. Dockendale’s Fleet is manned mostly by Indian Nationals and supplemented by Philippines, Myanmar, Ukranian, Romanian, Sri lankan and Chinese Nationals.

On 1st January 2008, Leslie Fernandes took over 100% shareholding in Dockendale and sold 40% shares back to Torben Jensen of the Clipper Group. The Clipper Group has promised to give around 60 new building dry cargo vessels for management to Dockendale in the next 5 years. This will include all 30,000 dwt Trader series and 37,000 dwt Sakura series vessels to be built at Tsuji Shipyard in China. Campbell Shipping as well as MUR have also promised to give a number of their new building vessels for management, which will make Dockendale a premier ship management company with a young fleet averaging under 4 years.

Dockendale’s current fleet is as follows:

A.) Vessels on management for Campbell Shipping, Bahamas

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