History
NW Trading was established in 1999 by Colin Joseph Littler, a highly qualified shipbroker with decades of experience in the ports and shipping industry.
The Company began as a small operation based in the Port of Birkenhead built around strong relationships with a handful of loyal customers.
Driven by customer needs and requirements for a stevedoring and distribution operation of equal quality on the East Coast, NW Trading began operating out of the Humber, first in Goole and later the Port of Hull. Most recently we have added a small operation in the Port of Bristol to the Company’s expanding portfolio.
NW Trading’s unique coast to coast offering was built on Colin’s outstanding commitment to customer service and today the Company offers Ships Agency, Vessel Chartering, Stevedoring, Warehousing, Distribution & Haulage, and Added Value Services to a range of Blue-Chip Companies.
Colin passed away in 2025, twenty-six years to the day he formed the Company. His commitment to service, reliability and integrity remains at the heart of NW Trading.
Today, those values are carried forward by a skilled, experienced team of more than 100 employees, ensuring the Company continues to thrive and evolve while honouring the principles on which it was built.
Our Business
NW Trading operates across three of the UK’s major ports— Birkenhead, Goole and Hull, with a new and growing operation now established in Bristol.
From these strategic locations, we handle a wide range of bulk and breakbulk cargoes for customers across the industrial, manufacturing, chemical and agricultural sectors…
Accreditations
NW Trading maintains ISO 9001, TASCC, FEMAS and FIAS accreditations, supported by dedicated and tightly controlled storage facilities at Birkenhead, Goole and Hull for compliant crop, feed and fertiliser handling.
Combined with our RHA and UKWA memberships, these standards reinforce the professionalism and reliability that define our port handling, warehousing and logistics operations.
