About Parkes Maritime Advisory
Parkes Maritime Advisory exists to provide independent, owner-aligned guidance in an industry where advice is too often conflicted, transactional, or sales-driven.
The acquisition, construction, and ownership of high-value vessels involves long time horizons, complex technical decisions, multiple jurisdictions, and material financial risk. Decisions made early — sometimes years before delivery — can have lasting implications for operational performance, cost, compliance, and long-term value.
Parkes Maritime Advisory was established to act solely in the interests of owners. The role is not to sell vessels or promote inventory, but to provide experienced, objective advice that supports informed decision-making across the full vessel lifecycle.
Independent by Design
Independence is not a positioning statement — it is a working discipline.
Parkes Maritime Advisory does not represent shipyards, manufacturers, brokers, or suppliers. There are no commissions, preferred inventory, sales targets, or hidden incentives. Advice is shaped by real-world owner-side experience rather than commercial alignment elsewhere in the transaction chain.
Every recommendation is tested against long-term ownership outcomes, operational realities, and value protection. This allows clients to proceed with clarity and confidence, knowing decisions are being evaluated from an owner’s perspective — not influenced by competing interests.
What Parkes Maritime Advisory Does
Parkes Maritime Advisory provides discreet, conflict-free advice across the acquisition, construction, and ownership of high-value vessels.
Engagements are advisory in nature and may include acquisition strategy, market sourcing, new-build oversight, shipyard and contractor coordination, specification review, commissioning, international delivery, and broader strategic ownership decisions.
The firm operates as a trusted owner’s representative — aligning technical, commercial, and practical considerations to protect client interests at every stage.
The Principal Advisor
Parkes Maritime Advisory is led by Gary Parkes, a marine executive and independent advisor with more than two decades of hands-on experience across luxury yacht acquisition, vessel construction oversight, international procurement, commissioning, and delivery.
Gary’s experience spans the full lifecycle of high-value vessels — from early concept and shipyard construction through to owner handover, operation, and resale. He has worked directly with private owners, UHNW individuals, family offices, and corporate clients, acting as owner-side representative across both new-build and secondary-market acquisitions.
Importantly, this experience extends well beyond transaction execution into deep, practical involvement with vessel construction and delivery.
Gary has funded and overseen the design and construction of a luxury 50-metre timber sailing motor yacht in Indonesia, working directly with shipyards, naval architects, designers, classification bodies, and equipment suppliers. Across his wider portfolio of yacht and vessel projects, he has led engagements through sea trials, certification, commissioning, and operational handover, gaining first-hand exposure to construction methodology, fit-out sequencing, systems integration, regulatory compliance, and the realities of operating complex vessels in remote environments.
He has also overseen the construction of multiple DeFever Heritage motor yachts in China, acting as owner’s representative across build supervision, quality assurance, fit-out coordination, commissioning, and export delivery. These projects required direct engagement with Asian shipyards, international suppliers, surveyors, logistics providers, and flag-state requirements.
Complementing this construction background is long-standing experience sourcing vessels from leading manufacturers and owner networks in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Canada, and Australia. Gary’s international experience further includes exporting vessels and establishing dealership operations in Asia, navigating cross-border regulatory frameworks, customs, compliance, and market-specific client expectations.
This breadth of exposure allows advice to be grounded not only in what to acquire, but how vessels are built, the implications of different construction standards, and the downstream impact on ownership, operation, and value retention.
Who We Work With
Parkes Maritime Advisory works with private owners, family offices, and corporate clients who value independent counsel, discretion, and long-term thinking.
Engagements are selective and advisory-led, focused on protecting client interests across acquisition strategy, new-build oversight, certifications, commissioning, international delivery, and strategic ownership decisions.
The role is that of a trusted owner’s representative — providing clarity in complex environments and supporting confident, well-informed outcomes
PMA’s advisory engagements are deliberately structured to remain independent, transparent, and aligned with the client’s objectives from initial brief through to completion. Engagements are undertaken directly by Gary Parkes, providing senior-level oversight, continuity, and clear accountability throughout each phase of advisory involvement. For those wishing to understand how PMA structures its engagements, governance framework, and commercial arrangements, further detail is available.