Marine Services International

What Marine Services International does

Marine Services International (MSI) is a privately held, fully licensed and bonded international freight forwarder headquartered in Broadview Heights, Ohio. Founded circa 2016 (per website copyright) and operating as an 11-50 employee firm, MSI serves importers and exporters with a vertically integrated suite of logistics services: ocean, air, rail, and land freight forwarding; Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) operations under FMC License 020293NF; Indirect Air Carrier (IAC) air export services; Customs House Broker services under License 24307; bonded and temperature-controlled warehousing with IMDG, US-DOT, and ISPM-15 certified staff; and on-site container loading and unloading.

MSI's technology stack consists of an internal network for NVOCC processing, customs brokerage, and warehouse operations, complemented by public-facing reference tools (tariff rules, Incoterms, container specifications, currency converter, holiday calendars). The company earns revenue on a transaction-fee basis across each service line, with quote-based, contract-negotiated pricing that is not publicly disclosed. There is no proprietary software product, public API, or app.

The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, executed through direct account management by experienced staff with backgrounds spanning intermodal, steamship, NVOCC, and importer/exporter operations. MSI extends its geographic reach via a global agent network covering 50+ countries rather than owned international offices, and it has begun affiliating with industry alliances such as the Umbrella Freight Network (2025) and trade bodies including IATA, NWBOC, and the U.S. Commercial Service to broaden its referral channels. Ownership is concentrated in President Michelle Panik; no venture capital, private equity, or external investor involvement has been disclosed.

Name

Marine Services International

Legal name

Marine Services International, Inc.

Website

https://marineservicesintl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marine Services International is a privately held, licensed international freight forwarder based in Ohio serving importers and exporters with ocean, air, rail, and land forwarding, customs brokerage, NVOCC, warehousing, and container handling via a global agent network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services

NAICS

Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLACABAE

Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Ocean Freight Forwarding (FCL/LCL)

SECONDARYTLACABAF

Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Ocean Freight Forwarding (FCL/LCL)

SECONDARYTLACABAJ

Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Ocean Forwarding

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Ocean Freight Forwarding (FCL/LCL)

SECONDARYTLACABAL

Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Ocean Freight Forwarding (FCL/LCL)

Keywords

• International freight forwarding
• Customs brokerage services
• Ocean freight services
• Air freight export
• Bonded warehousing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: MSI generates revenue through fees for international freight forwarding services including ocean, air, rail, and land transportation. Services encompass drayage, distribution of documents, and coordination with carriers and agents globally.
2. NVOCC Services: Revenue from Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier operations including FCL (Full Container Load) and LCL (Less than Container Load) contracts, tariff filing, and marine insurance arrangements.
3. Indirect Air Carrier Services: Revenue from organizing and scheduling air freight exports, including carrier bookings, AES customs filing, and handling letter of credit shipments.
4. Customs Brokerage: Customs clearance services including customs bonds, ISF filings, and customs documentation handling for import shipments.
5. Warehousing Services: Revenue from bonded and temperature-controlled warehousing, cross-docking, crating, re-packaging, and container loading services.
6. Container Loading and Unloading: On-site warehouse services including loading, blocking and bracing of ocean containers, inland trucks, and vans with specialized material handling equipment.
7. Insurance Services: Marine insurance offerings as part of comprehensive logistics services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

MSI is a fully licensed and bonded international freight forwarder that arranges multi-modal transportation (ocean, air, rail, and land) for importers and exporters. Core offerings include Freight Forwarding, NVOCC ocean services, Indirect Air Carrier air exports, Customs House Broker clearance, bonded warehousing with container loading/unloading, and marine insurance, delivered through a global agent network.

Product overview

Marine Services International is a fully licensed and bonded international freight forwarding company offering a comprehensive suite of logistics services. The core portfolio includes Freight Forwarding (the primary service for arranging transportation and documentation), Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (N.V.O.C.C.) services for ocean freight, Indirect Air Carrier (IAC) services for air exports, Customs House Broker services for import clearance, and Warehousing with container loading capabilities. Insurance services are offered as an add-on through the customs brokerage and NVOCC divisions. The company leverages a global network of agents to provide customized logistics solutions across multiple transportation modes (air, rail, land, and sea).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Freight Forwarding International freight forwarding service for importers and exporters, handling documentation, letter of credit shipments, government inspections, TNE transactions, and acting as the intermediary between exporters and carriers from drayage through distribution.
• Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) NVOCC ocean service operating under FMC License Number 020293NF, providing Full Container Load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL) contracts, import/export services, tariff filing, marine insurance, AES customs filing, and TNE transactions through internal processing networks.
• Indirect Air Carrier (IAC) Air Freight Export Air freight export services including organizing and scheduling flights, carrier contracts, bookings, AES customs filing, letter of credit shipments, legalization, and government inspections.
• Customs House Broker Customs brokerage operating under Customs House Broker License Number 24307, providing customs clearance, customs bonds, ISF filings, FCL and LCL contract handling, NVOCC service contracts, insurance, inland coordination, and IMDG dangerous goods certification.
• Warehousing Full-service warehousing with bonded, insured, and 24-hour secured facilities including temperature control, IMDG and US-DOT certified staff, ISPM-15 certified crating, cross-docking, and container loading capabilities.
• Container Loading and Unloading On-site warehouse services for loading, blocking, and bracing ocean containers, inland trucks, and vans, using dock doors, heavy-lift forklifts, specialized material handling equipment, and IMDG/US-DOT certified staff.
• Marine Insurance Marine insurance offerings bundled with the company's customs brokerage and NVOCC service lines to provide cargo coverage as part of the logistics package.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Global Agent NetworkcoreOthersMSI maintains agents in all major countries around the world including over 50 countries such as Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, Great Britain, India, Japan, and others. These agents facilitate international freight forwarding and logistics services globally.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AIT Worldwide Logistics: Mid-sized U.S.-headquartered global freight forwarder offering NVOCC, customs brokerage, air freight, and warehousing. Closely comparable to MSI in service mix and target mid-market shipper base, though larger in scale.
• Allen Lund Company: Privately held U.S. freight broker and forwarder specializing in truckload, intermodal, and international forwarding. Comparable to MSI as a privately held mid-sized U.S. freight services firm.
• Omni Logistics: U.S.-based global freight forwarder with NVOCC, customs brokerage, and warehousing offerings. Closely comparable to MSI in service mix and customer profile, with broader international reach.

Broad incumbents

• C.H. Robinson Worldwide: One of the largest U.S.-based freight forwarders and 3PLs with global NVOCC, customs, and multi-modal capabilities. Comparable to MSI on service portfolio, but operates at vastly greater scale with dedicated technology and carrier leverage.
• Expeditors International: Seattle-based global freight forwarder with deep ocean and air forwarding, customs brokerage, and NVOCC operations. Directly comparable to MSI's core service stack but at enterprise scale and with proprietary technology.
• Kuehne+Nagel: World's largest sea freight forwarder with global NVOCC, air freight, and contract logistics. Overlaps entirely with MSI's ocean/air/customs service stack but operates at global incumbent scale.
• DHL Global Forwarding: DHL's air and ocean freight forwarding division with global NVOCC, customs, and contract logistics. Comparable in service breadth to MSI but with unmatched carrier scale and global infrastructure.
• Hub Group: U.S.-based intermodal and logistics services provider with international forwarding, customs brokerage, and truck brokerage. Overlaps with MSI's multi-modal and customs service offering but at significantly larger scale.
• Yusen Logistics: Japan-headquartered global logistics provider with strong U.S. presence offering ocean/air forwarding, customs brokerage, and contract warehousing. Comparable service breadth to MSI but with substantially larger global footprint.

Emerging players

• Flexport: Tech-enabled global freight forwarder offering digitized ocean, air, and customs brokerage. Directly competes with MSI for mid-market shippers but differentiates through proprietary software and transparency tooling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Marine-Services-International
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marine-services-international-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Marine Services International