What SSA Marine does

SSA Marine is a privately held marine terminal operator headquartered in Seattle and operating as a subsidiary of holding company Carrix, Inc. Founded in 1949 as a family-owned business, the company has grown to 20,000+ employees and operates 250+ locations across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, Colombia, and Vietnam. It is the largest container terminal operator in the Americas, handling 26 million TEUs annually across 21 long-term leases/concessions and 6 stevedoring terminals, and serves as a leading cruise terminal operator in North America with 24 cruise locations and 21 million+ passengers handled per year. The Conventional Cargo division handles 42 million+ tons annually across 55+ operations, covering breakbulk, bulk, RoRo, and project cargo for forest products, grain, steel, autos, and perishables.

The company's service portfolio is anchored by three business lines: container terminal operations (with on-dock rail, chassis pools, reefer monitoring, and CFS services), conventional cargo handling, and cruise terminal operations and construction. Revenue is generated through long-term terminal concessions, joint venture economics with carriers and port authorities, and direct stevedoring service contracts with shipping lines, cruise operators (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Disney), and cargo owners (Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Matson). The technology stack includes a digital twin platform developed with NextPort.AI at San Antonio Terminal Internacional, proprietary Black Dog telemetry equipment, automated OCR and RFID systems at Terminal 18, and 200+ zero-emissions cargo handling vehicles supported by $85 million in grant funding. Key joint venture partners include Hapag Lloyd Americas (Texas Stevedoring Services), Terminal Investment Limited/MSC (Houston Terminal, Terminal 5 Seattle), Matson (Terminal 5, B63, C60, West Sitcum), and Royal Caribbean Group (Galveston Cruise Terminal).

The business model relies on enterprise direct-sales engagement with shipping lines, cruise operators, port authorities, and cargo owners under multi-year contractual arrangements rather than transactional pricing. Sustainability and decarbonization have become central to the commercial proposition — 21 terminals hold Green Marine certification, GRESB scores exceed 90, and Galveston Cruise Terminal operates as the first Net Zero Energy cruise facility globally. The company executed a major corporate restructuring in 2024, integrating Ceres Terminals into SSA Marine and rebranding the former Western Group under the SSA Marine name, while expanding its investment in Termont Montreal to 50% in April 2025 and achieving a zero-emissions milestone at Berth 55 in May 2025.

Name

SSA Marine

Legal name

Carrix, Inc.

Website

https://ssamarine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

SSA Marine is the largest marine terminal operator in the Americas, providing container, conventional cargo, and cruise terminal services across 250+ global locations to shipping lines, cruise operators, and cargo owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Terminal Operations & Stevedoring Services: Marine terminal operator providing stevedoring, cargo handling, terminal management, and cruise services. Revenue generated through service fees from shipping lines, cruise operators, and cargo owners for terminal access, cargo handling, and related logistics services. Operations structured through long-term leases, concessions, and joint ventures with carriers and port authorities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SSA Marine is a marine terminal operator providing stevedoring, container terminal management, conventional cargo handling, and cruise terminal services to shipping lines, cruise operators, automotive manufacturers, and port authorities. The company handles 26 million TEUs, 42 million+ tons of conventional cargo, and 21 million+ cruise passengers annually across 250+ locations through long-term terminal concessions, joint ventures, and direct service contracts.

Product overview

SSA Marine is a marine terminal operator offering three core service lines: Container Terminal Operations (largest in the Americas at 26M TEUs/year), Conventional Cargo Services (42M+ tons/year across 55+ operations), and Cruise Services (21M+ passengers/year at 24 locations). The company operates through various named terminals and facilities including Terminal 18 (Pacific Northwest's largest with OCR/RFID automation), Terminal 5 (Seattle joint venture with on-dock rail), Pacific Container Terminal (Long Beach with 256 acres), Garden City Terminal (Savannah, North America's largest single-terminal facility), and Termont Montreal (50% stake, 1.1M TEU capacity). Cruise operations include Canada Place Vancouver, Galveston Cruise Terminal 10 (first Net Zero Energy cruise facility, LEED Gold), and Port Canaveral (world's busiest with 700 vessel calls, 4.8M passengers). A Digital Twin Platform (NextPort.AI partnership with Black Dog telemetry integration) provides real-time equipment monitoring and optimization across operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SSA Terminals: Joint venture container terminal operations at Port of Seattle and Tacoma.
• SSA Atlantic
• SSA Pacific
• SSA Marine Mexico
• Ceres Terminals Canada
• C-River Logistics
• Galveston Cruise Terminal, LLC (GCT)
• IntermodeX
• Termont Montreal Inc.

Products and services

• Container Terminal Operations
• Conventional Cargo Services
• Cruise Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 26 million TEUs handled annually
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.

• San Pedro West Harbor DevelopmentstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2025Partnership in San Pedro's West Harbor development project, adding new capabilities to waterfront operations.
• Port of Los AngelesstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025Collaboration on zero-emissions equipment deployment at Berth 55. Project achieved Port's emissions-free yard equipment goal five years ahead of 2030 target. Three-year collaborative effort.
• LogisteccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2025SSA Marine expanded investment in Termont Montreal Inc. by acquiring additional 25% interest from Logistec, increasing stake to 50%. Termont operates Maisonneuve and Viau Terminals at Port of Montreal.
• Royal Caribbean GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-investment in Galveston Cruise Terminal LLC (GCT), opening 2022 - certified LEED Gold and first Net Zero Energy cruise facility in the world. Also partner in SE Stevedoring Corp in Sitka with minority ownership.
• Vancouver Port AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Operating the Canada Place Cruise Terminal on behalf of the Vancouver Port Authority since 2006. Premier cruise destination on the Pacific Northwest.
• Hapag Lloyd AmericascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership Texas Stevedoring Services for container terminal operations at Barbours Cut Terminal and Bayport Terminal, Port Houston. Long-term partnership for stevedoring and terminal management.
• Terminal Investment Limited (TIL/MSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture Houston Terminal for container operations at Port Houston. Also joint venture partner at Terminal 5, Port of Seattle. TIL is the investment arm of MSC, one of the world's largest container shipping lines.
• Matson Navigation CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDedicated terminal facilities including Terminal 5 (Port of Seattle), Terminal B63 (Port of Oakland), Terminal C60 (Port of Long Beach), and West Sitcum Terminal (Port of Tacoma). Matson is a leading US shipping company serving Pacific routes.
• NextPort.AIstrategicTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for digital twin platform development at San Antonio Terminal Internacional (STI). Platform provides real-time virtual monitoring of equipment fleet integrating STI's Black Dog telemetry technology.
• Hanseatic Global TerminalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-operator of San Antonio Terminal Internacional (STI) in Chile, one of South America's key port terminals.
• Slip Knott LLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop new cruise terminal on 330-acre Knott-Cowen Tract in Manatee County, Florida. Project blocked by Florida legislation protecting Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve (2026).
• Cruz PuertaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for cruise terminal development project that was blocked by environmental legislation in Manatee County, Florida.
• Greater Victoria Harbour AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgent/Manager for Ogden Point Cruise & Deep-Water Terminal in Victoria, BC. Deep-water port facility with four berths, major cruise destination in Northwest.
• Jacksonville Port AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerminal operations at Blount Island Terminal and Jacksonville Container Terminal (JCT). 40-acre facility handling containers, out-of-gauge cargo, heavy lifts.

Scale indicators25 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI): Philippines-listed global container terminal operator with operations in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Comparable to SSA Marine as a publicly traded peer in container terminal operations with similar concession-based business model and focus on emerging-market gateway ports.
• Ports America: Privately held US marine terminal operator and one of the largest independent terminal operators in North America. Closest US-based direct competitor to SSA Marine in container, breakbulk, and RoRo operations, with overlapping customer base of shipping lines and auto manufacturers.
• Logistec: Canadian marine terminal and stevedoring company with operations across Canada and the US. Direct competitor to SSA Marine's Canadian and US East Coast conventional cargo operations and former JV partner at Termont Montreal (sold its 25% stake to SSA Marine in April 2025).
• Yusen Terminals: Japanese terminal operator with major US West Coast operations, particularly at the Port of Los Angeles. Direct competitor to SSA Marine's Pacific Container Terminal and Berth 55 operations, serving the same trans-Pacific shipping line customers.
• APM Terminals: The terminal operating arm of A.P. Moller-Maersk, handling ~40M+ TEUs globally across 60+ terminals. Directly competes with SSA Marine in container terminal operations at key gateway ports and shares the same enterprise B2B customer base of major ocean carriers.

Regional players

• EUROGATE: Germany-headquartered container terminal operator primarily serving European ports with intermodal connections. Comparable to SSA Marine in container terminal operations and stevedoring services, though focused on a different geography (Europe vs. Americas).

Broad incumbents

• PSA International: Singapore-based port operator handling ~40M+ TEUs at flagship PSA terminals and a global portfolio. Comparable to SSA Marine as a container terminal operator with similar concession-based business model and enterprise sales motion to global shipping lines.
• DP World: Dubai-based global port operator and one of the world's largest marine terminal operators, handling ~70M TEUs across 70+ terminals. Direct competitor to SSA Marine in container terminal operations across multiple regions, with a broader global portfolio and broader logistics services.
• Hutchison Ports: Hong Kong-based port operator (part of CK Hutchison) and one of the largest container terminal operators globally, with ~80M+ TEUs across 50+ ports. Direct competitor to SSA Marine in container terminal operations, especially in trans-Pacific and Latin American trade lanes.
• CMA CGM (Terminal Link): French shipping line and terminal operator with significant terminal ownership through its Terminal Link and other port investments. Both a customer of SSA Marine and a competitor in select terminals globally, with vertical integration between shipping line and terminal operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ssa-marine

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SSA Marine