AGM Trading Update

Clarkson PLC
23 May 2007

                                                                     23 May 2007



                                  CLARKSON PLC

                               AGM Trading Update



At the Annual General Meeting to be held in London today, the Chief Executive
Richard Fulford-Smith will make the following statement:


Trading

Since we announced our Preliminary Results on 26 March, trading conditions have
continued to exceed management's expectations.  Our ship-broking business is
benefiting from the record forward order book at the beginning of the year and
continues to see good volumes of business being written at freight rates which
have exceeded expectations in most market segments.  Our strengthened presence
in sale and purchase is already generating significantly more new business both
for invoicing this year and in future years.

We were pleased to announce on 17 May, the acquisition of the remaining 51%
interest in Cofimar that we did not already own. With our complementary client
bases, the full integration of this business will benefit the group's dry cargo
operations.

Today, we are announcing that the Group has signed an agreement to acquire the
remaining 50% interest in LNG Shipping Solutions Limited from Barry Rogliano
Salles for a total consideration of US$2.0 million to be settled in cash. This
area of business was highlighted in our Report & Accounts as being a growth
business for the future.

In addition to strengthening our core broking business, we continue to make good
progress on our strategy to further spread our base of business, always within
shipping and shipping related products.  The fund management operation has
continued to grow and now has US$63 million under management.  In addition to
the new investors the fund has attracted since the end of March, we are very
pleased to announce that it has yielded 19.23%, net of fees, in its first full
year of operations.  We are very encouraged by both the fund's performance and
continued interest from new investors.

In addition to launching our hedge fund, we have spread further our base through
the establishment of a financial and technical services business.  Our market
leading position in global shipping services, combined with our extensive market
intelligence and research operations, provides Clarkson with a unique
opportunity to leverage this position.  We expect further developments in this
area over the coming months.


Board

Rob Ward retired as Finance Director on 31 December after nearly 16 years with
Clarksons.  I am sure you will all join me in expressing our thanks and
appreciation for his sterling work in that period.  As you will also be aware,
Jeff Woyda joined the company and the Board on 1 November and assumed Rob's role
as Finance Director from 1 January.

As announced on 20 April, Martin Watson, the Senior Non Executive Director, felt
it appropriate to resign due to a possible conflict of interest arising from the
Sovcomflot threatened legal action.  Martin Clark has taken over the position of
Senior Non-Executive Director and Bob Benton has become Chairman of the
Remuneration Committee.


Litigation

As announced on 20 April, Clarkson's subsidiary H Clarkson & Company was placed
on notice that it would be joined as a defendant in High Court action brought by
the Russian state-owned shipping company, Sovcomflot.  Additionally, the Company
was served notice of a claim against it brought by a subsidiary of Novoship, the
Russian shipping company which has recently announced it will merge with
Sovcomflot.  The total amended claims in these cases are now US$67 million
(previously US$54 million) and Clarksons will strongly defend its position
against both.  We continue to build our defence against these cases as our view
is that both are about litigation between powerful Russian interests in which
Clarksons has been caught up as a third party.  We will continue to update the
market as appropriate.


Conclusion

Our business activities are performing in line with expectations and we remain
well placed to deliver renewed growth in 2007.


Enquiries:

Clarkson PLC                                          020 7334 0000
Richard Fulford-Smith, Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Woyda, Finance Director


Quiller Consultants                                   020 7233 9444
John Eisenhammer/Nick Dunne






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