Seaway

What Seaway does

Seaway is a privately held Australian diversified transport and logistics provider founded in 1998 and headquartered in Southbank, Melbourne. The company operates an integrated platform spanning four core service lines: sea freight forwarding (FCL, LCL, specialized and project cargo, bulk liquids), air freight forwarding, shipping agency representation, and intermodal services (rail, road, and warehousing). Seaway holds agency rights for major international shipping lines including Hoegh Autoliners (since 2001), Marfret (since 2005), and T.S. Lines (since 2010), and operates the largest network of airside facilities in Australia through its AIRWAY sub-brand. The company ranks as the #1 independent domestic freight forwarder and #4 air freight forwarder by volume in Australia.

The business is underpinned by owned physical infrastructure: 3 regional intermodal rail terminals with capacity to operate 1.5km-long trains, 60,000+ train services per annum, and warehousing facilities across multiple states (including 24,000 sqm in Warrnambool and 10,000 sqm in Eagle Farm). Customer-facing technology includes the SeaTrack portal (built on the Wisegrid/NEO platform) and SeaTrack+ (powered by Logixboard), providing real-time shipment visibility, automated notifications, and TMS integration. The company operates across 16+ locations in Australia, New Zealand, and China, employing 400+ staff per public materials and 600+ per CEO commentary.

Seaway's revenue model is multi-stream: freight forwarding fees (volume/weight/destination-based for sea and air), shipping agency commissions from principals, intermodal transport and storage charges, and project cargo fees. The GTM is enterprise field sales with dedicated Business Development Managers pursuing long-term contracts in six primary verticals: Food & Beverage, Mining & Resources, Marine, Energy, Construction, and Healthcare. Pricing is fully quote-based with no public tiers. The corporate structure comprises Seaway Holdings Pty Ltd as parent with 7 wholly-owned operating subsidiaries, including Seaway Logistics, Seaway Agencies, Seaway Intermodal, Seaway Portlink, Seaway Customs, Seaway Agencies (NZ), and Marfret Australia. Annual operational scale includes 300,000 containers, 70M kg of air freight, 200K TEU through shipping agency, 700 vessel calls, and 100K+ vehicles handled.

Name

Seaway

Legal name

Seaway Holdings Pty Ltd

Website

https://seaway.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Seaway is a privately held Australian logistics provider offering integrated sea freight, air freight, shipping agency, and intermodal services. Operating 16+ locations across Australia, New Zealand, and China with owned rail and warehousing, it serves enterprise customers in food, mining, marine, and energy sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services

NAICS

Water Transportation (483), Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Sea freight logistics
• Air freight services
• Intermodal transport
• Shipping agency services

Headquarters

HQ city

Southbank

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sea Freight Forwarding: Full range of international sea freight services including FCL (Full Container Load), LCL (Less Than Container Load), specialised cargo handling for oversized, hazardous, and temperature-sensitive goods. Revenue generated through freight fees based on volume, weight, and destination.
2. Air Freight Services: International and domestic air freight forwarding services. Largest network of airside facilities in Australia. Revenue generated through air freight fees based on weight, urgency, and handling requirements.
3. Shipping Agency Services: Agency representation for shipping lines (T.S. Lines, Hoegh Autoliners, Marfret, Bulkhaul). Services include sales & marketing, vessel allocation management, financial reporting, documentation processing. Revenue through agency fees and commissions from principals.
4. Intermodal Services: Rail, road transport, and warehousing services. Own and operate rail terminals, road fleet, and warehouse facilities. Revenue from transport fees, storage charges, and logistics management services.
5. Bulk Liquids Logistics: Specialised ISO tank and flexitank transportation for liquid goods including wine, canola oil, used cooking oil, and industrial ethanol. Includes end-to-end logistics, customs compliance, and temporary storage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Seaway is a diversified Australian transport and logistics provider offering an integrated suite of services spanning sea freight forwarding (FCL, LCL, project cargo, bulk liquids), air freight, shipping agency representation for major liner operators, and intermodal transport combining owned rail, road and warehousing infrastructure. The company operates 16+ locations across Australia, New Zealand and China and provides end-to-end supply chain management from farm gate to export shipping, supported by real-time tracking portals (SeaTrack and SeaTrack+).

Product overview

Seaway is an Australian-owned diversified transport and logistics provider offering a fully integrated suite of services across sea freight, air freight, shipping agency, and intermodal (rail, road, warehousing) operations. The company operates as a unified platform combining owned infrastructure with global partnerships. Core services include Sea Freight (FCL, LCL, specialized/project cargo, bulk liquids), Air Freight, Shipping Agency representation for major lines, and Intermodal services with owned rail terminals and warehousing facilities. Customer-facing digital tools include SeaTrack and SeaTrack+ tracking portals, while AIRWAY handles domestic air cargo operations. The company employs over 400 staff across 16+ locations in Australia, New Zealand, and China.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AIRWAY: Domestic air cargo handling services including warehousing, chillers, freezers, screening equipment and ground handling capabilities for domestic movements within Australia.
• SeaTrack
• SeaTrack+

Products and services

• Sea Freight Australia's largest independent sea freight forwarder offering Full Container Load (FCL), Less Than Container Load (LCL), and specialized cargo handling including oversized, hazardous, and temperature-sensitive goods for import and export customers.
• Air Freight Time-sensitive and perishable cargo handling through the largest network of airside facilities in Australia, offering bookings, allocation, shipment consolidation, and deconsolidation services. Ranked #1 independent domestic freight forwarder and #4 air freight forwarder in Australia by volume.
• Shipping Agency Liner shipping agency services throughout Australia and New Zealand for ship owners and operators, including sales, vessel management, documentation processing, financial reporting, and customs compliance. Represents principals such as T.S. Lines, Hoegh Autoliners, Marfret and Bulkhaul.
• Intermodal End-to-end logistics management combining owned rail, road, and warehousing services using a Hub and Spoke transport solution. Supports Australia's agricultural, metals, and grain export commodities with rail terminals, cold chain expertise, and fumigation facilities.
• Rail Services Eco-friendly rail freight network providing specialist solutions for general cargo, agricultural commodities, bulk liquids, and perishable goods. Operates 3 regional intermodal rail terminals and over 400 train services per annum with trains up to 1.5km in length.
• Road Services Flexible road freight solutions for collection from farm gate to rail hub consolidation warehouses, using specialist fleet with refrigerated containers and full visibility tracking technology.
• Warehousing Ambient and refrigerated warehouse facilities with accredited quarantine and fumigation services, supporting agricultural export commodities with container unpack, cross dock, export loading, and biosecurity services. Over 34,000 sqm of warehouse space across Australia.
• Project Cargo Complex logistics for oversized, heavy lift, break-bulk, and project cargo including global project management, transport planning, in-house customs brokerage, specialized transport, and part/full cargo chartering for mining, oil, and construction sectors. Capable of super-lifts up to 420MT.
• Bulk Liquids Logistics Transportation and handling of liquid goods using specialized containers including ISO tanks and flexitanks for products such as wine, canola oil, used cooking oil, and industrial ethanol, including end-to-end logistics, customs compliance, and temporary storage.
• AIRWAY Domestic Air Cargo Domestic air cargo handling services including warehousing, chillers, freezers, screening equipment and ground handling capabilities for perishables, time-sensitive items, dangerous goods, and oversized cargo within Australia.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70M kg air freight handled per annum
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cathay Pacific CargocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022Collaborative partnership for MANGO EXPRESS initiative. Cathay Pacific Cargo operated weekly Boeing 777 flights from Darwin to international markets for Northern Territory mango exports. Partnership enabled 285 tonnes of mangoes to reach South Korea, Hong Kong and Dubai.
• AIRWAYcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated entity providing air cargo handling services. AIRWAY operates airside facilities and provides advanced technology for processing perishable cargo including mangoes. Part of Seaway Group ecosystem providing comprehensive air freight services.
• T.S. LinescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShipping principal represented by Seaway since 2010. T.S. Lines is a key regional container carrier with comprehensive network throughout Southeast Asia, India, Middle East, North Asia, and Australasia.
• Hoegh AutolinerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShipping principal represented by Seaway since 2001. Leading global provider of roll-on/roll-off vehicle transportation services operating in Australasia, Europe, and South Africa.
• MarfretcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShipping principal represented by Seaway since 2005. Innovative and dynamic family-owned shipping company specializing in North American, Mediterranean, North Atlantic, Caribbean, South America and South Pacific trade-lanes.
• BulkhaulminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal specialist in transportation of liquids, powders, and gases. Established in 1981, provides bulk liquid logistics capabilities for Seaway's bulk liquids division.
• Rural AidminorOthersCommunity partnership providing critical support to farmers affected by natural disaster through financial, wellbeing and fodder assistance. Part of Seaway's commitment to regional and rural Australia.
• Chances for ChildrenminorOthersCommunity partnership program removing financial barriers for young people in the Mallee region to pursue education goals.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CEVA Logistics: CEVA Logistics is a global 3PL and freight forwarder (CMA CGM owned) with Australian operations across sea, air, road, and contract logistics. Comparable to Seaway in multi-modal integrated forwarding with global reach.
• DHL Global Forwarding: DHL Global Forwarding is the world's largest air and ocean freight forwarder. Comparable to Seaway as a global incumbent providing sea and air forwarding plus customs brokerage across Australia, with much larger scale and broader international network.
• Expeditors International: Expeditors is a major global asset-light freight forwarder with Australia offices. Comparable to Seaway in sea/air forwarding and customs brokerage, but operates as an asset-light pure forwarder contrasting with Seaway's rail/warehouse ownership.
• DSV: DSV is a top global freight forwarder with significant Australia operations following the DB Schenker and UTi acquisitions. Comparable to Seaway in offering integrated sea, air, road, and project cargo forwarding.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Kuehne+Nagel is one of the top three global sea freight forwarders with strong Australian presence. Comparable to Seaway in sea and air forwarding, customs, and integrated logistics, but operates at vastly larger global scale.
• Yusen Logistics: Yusen Logistics is a Japanese global logistics provider with strong Asia-Pacific and Australian presence in sea, air, and contract logistics. Comparable to Seaway in Asia-Australia trade corridor focus.

Direct peers

• Linfox: Linfox is a privately held Australian logistics major operating in supply chain, cold chain, and freight forwarding. Comparable to Seaway as an Australian-owned, privately held, multi-modal logistics provider with strong food/cold chain exposure.
• Toll Group: Toll is Australia's largest domestic freight forwarder and 3PL, offering integrated road, rail, air, sea, and warehousing services. It is the most direct competitor to Seaway in the Australian multi-modal logistics market, with broader global reach via Japan Post ownership.
• Mainfreight: Mainfreight is a New Zealand-headquartered global logistics provider with significant Australia operations, offering sea freight, air freight, and domestic transport. Comparable to Seaway in trans-Tasman footprint and multi-modal integrated model.

Regional players

• Mondewide Freight Services: Mondiale Freight is a New Zealand-headquartered freight forwarder with Australia operations, specializing in sea and air freight. Comparable to Seaway as a smaller trans-Tasman forwarder competing in the same regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries7 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 Seaway