SEA-invest

What SEA-invest does

SEA-invest Corporation SA is a privately-held international terminal operator incorporated in Luxembourg (registered address 655, rue de Neudorf, L-2220) and operationally rooted in Ghent, Belgium. Founded in 1925, the company has evolved from a Belgian coal and scrap-metal stevedoring business into a multi-divisional port logistics platform operating 23 ports across 7 countries in Europe and Africa (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Ivory Coast, Senegal, South Africa). SEA-invest employs approximately 5,500 people globally and handles more than 170 million tonnes of cargo annually. The company bills itself as one of the world's largest terminal operators for dry bulk, fruit, and liquid bulk, with stevedoring, transport, warehousing, and other port-related activities across its divisions.

Name

SEA-invest

Legal name

SEA-invest Corporation SA

Website

https://sea-invest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SEA-invest is a privately-held international terminal operator headquartered in Luxembourg, operating 23 ports across 7 countries in Europe and Africa with approximately 5,500 employees, handling over 170 million tonnes annually of dry bulk, liquid bulk, fruit and food, breakbulk, and container cargo for industrial producers, traders, energy, and chemical clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Port Terminal Operations & Logistics

NAICS

Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Navigational Services to Shipping (488330)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Terminal Cargo Handling & Yard Operations (Receiving, Staging, Delivery) (TLAHALAB)

Keywords

• Dry bulk terminal operations
• Liquid bulk storage
• Port stevedoring services
• Cold chain logistics
• Customs brokerage services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ghent

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Terminal Operations & Stevedoring: Core stevedoring services for dry bulk, liquid bulk, breakbulk, containers, and fruit & food cargo. Handles loading, unloading and cargo handling at terminals.
2. Logistics & Freight Forwarding: Comprehensive logistics services including warehouse management, silo/reservoir provision, inbound/outbound cargo flows, cross-border shipments by train and truck, and total supply chain optimization.
3. Customs Brokerage Services: Customs clearance, fiscal representation, phytosanitary control, NCTS procedures, transit declarations, and origin certificates for imports and exports.
4. Shipping Agency Services: Maritime agency services including ship movement tracking, crew changes coordination, documentation, legal and commercial representation, vessel chartering, and financial disbursement account management.
5. Liquid Bulk Storage & Handling: Storage and handling of petroleum products, fertilizers, molasses, fish oils, biofuels, oleochemical products, and chemicals with total capacity exceeding 3,300,000 m³.
6. Warehousing & Storage: Total warehousing capacity exceeding 1 million m² across Europe and Africa, including temperature-controlled facilities, silos, and tanks.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SEA-invest is an international terminal operator providing stevedoring, transport, warehousing and port-related services across 23 ports in 7 countries. The company handles dry bulk, liquid bulk, breakbulk, containers, and fruit & food cargo, with integrated customs brokerage, shipping agency and logistics services. Annual throughput exceeds 170 million tonnes through eight operating divisions.

Product overview

SEA-invest is an international terminal operator offering a portfolio of port-related services across eight core divisions: Dry Bulk handling (70M+ tons/year), Liquid Products/SEA-Tank Terminal (3.3M+ m³ storage capacity), Fruit & Food cold chain logistics (620,000 m² controlled storage), Breakbulk & Containers, Warehousing & Storage (1M+ m² total), Shipping Agencies, and Logistics & Customs Services. The company operates through multiple sub-brands including SEA-Tank Terminal, SEA-Tech (engineering services), Assuvan (insurance), Liquids Customs Services (LCS), and SEA-invest Shipping Agency, along with subsidiaries such as Southern African Fruit Terminals (SAFT) in South Africa, HHLA Frucht- und Kühl-Zentrum in Germany, and various regional operations across Belgium, France, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Germany. The company also provides digital client access via extranets and portals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SEA-Tank: Liquid bulk terminal operations division handling petroleum products, fertilizers, molasses, fish oils, biofuels, oleochemicals and chemicals with total storage capacity exceeding 3,300,000 m³.
• SEA-Tech
• Sea-Tank Terminal

Products and services

• Dry Bulk Terminal Operations Handling, storage, processing, blending, loading and unloading of dry bulk cargo including industrial commodities (coal, ore, scrap metal) and agribulk products across terminals in Belgium, France, Ivory Coast, and Senegal. Designed for industrial producers and traders of dry bulk commodities.
• Liquid Products (SEA-Tank Terminal) Storage and handling of mineral petroleum products, vegetable oils, liquid fertilizers, molasses, fish oils, biofuels, oleochemical products, and chemicals across Belgium and France. Includes services such as blending, heating, nitrogen blanketing, drum/IBC filling, and customs bonded warehousing. Designed for oil, gas, petrochemical, oleochemical, biofuel, and fertilizer companies.
• Fruit & Food Logistics End-to-end cold chain logistics including handling, storage, quality control, (re)packaging, customs clearance, phytosanitary controls, and refrigerated container connections for fruits and food products. Includes 620,000 m² of temperature-controlled storage, 176,000 pallet spaces, and 132,000 m³ of frozen storage at -20°C. Designed for producers and traders of fresh produce.
• Breakbulk & Containers Handling of breakbulk cargo including tropical hardwoods, timber, big bags, and steel products, along with container terminal operations at Antwerp and Bordeaux. Designed for manufacturers, retailers, and shippers of manufactured goods and retail-bound cargo.
• Warehousing & Storage Warehousing and storage services with total capacity exceeding 1 million m² across Europe and Africa, including temperature-controlled facilities, silos, and tanks managed internally or leased to third parties. Designed for industrial producers, traders, and logistics customers requiring storage capacity.
• Shipping Agencies Custom-tailored 24/7 maritime agency services including ship movement tracking, crew changes coordination, document administration, customs representation, ship brokerage, and financial disbursement account centralization. Operates across Belgium, France, Ivory Coast, and Senegal.
• Logistics & Customs Services Freight forwarding and customs brokerage services covering cross-border shipments by train and truck, customs clearance, phytosanitary controls, NCTS procedures, transit declarations, origin certificates, supply chain optimization, fruit juice production logistics, kiwi conditioning station, and oleochemical drum/IBC filling services. Designed for importers, exporters, and logistics customers.
• SEA-Tech (Technical Engineering Services) Technical engineering department providing design, modification, and solutions for port equipment and installations. Offers technical assistance to the SEA-invest group and external clients.
• Assuvan (Insurance Brokerage) In-house insurance broker providing insurance services, risk management, and insurance advisory for businesses and individuals.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HHLA Frucht- und Kühl-Zentrum GmbHcoreOthersHHLA Frucht- und Kühl-Zentrum GmbH is a subsidiary operating under the SEA-invest group in Hamburg, Germany. It provides fruit handling and cold storage services as part of the Fruit & Food division operations.
• Southern African Fruit Terminals (SAFT)coreOthersSAFT is a major subsidiary operating fruit terminals in Cape Town, Durban, and Paarl, South Africa. It handles over 2.6 million tonnes of fruits and foodstuffs annually as part of the Fruit & Food division.
• Ulrich Stein GmbHminorOthersGerman subsidiary providing logistics and port services as part of SEA-invest's European operations network.
• SotramabminorOthersPort operations company in Bayonne, France (website: sotramab.fr) operating as part of SEA-invest's French network.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• DP World: One of the world's largest marine terminal operators with ~70 ports globally. Overlaps with SEA-invest in stevedoring, container handling, and inland logistics; competes primarily in container terminals but also operates bulk and breakbulk facilities, making it a relevant broader incumbent.
• PSA International: Singapore-based global port operator managing dozens of terminals across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Comparable to SEA-invest as a multi-port terminal operator providing integrated cargo handling, though PSA's scale and geographic spread are materially larger.
• Hutchison Ports: Part of CK Hutchison, operating container terminals at over 50 locations worldwide. Comparable as a global terminal operator with overlapping capabilities in container handling and port logistics, though Hutchison focuses predominantly on containers rather than SEA-invest's broad dry/liquid bulk mix.

Direct peers

• Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHLA): Listed German port and logistics group operating container and multi-purpose terminals in Hamburg and elsewhere. Directly comparable to SEA-invest in container handling, intermodal rail (HHLA's rail subsidiaries mirror SEA-Rail), and port logistics; SEA-invest's HHLA Frucht- und Kühl-Zentrum subsidiary even carries the HHLA brand in Hamburg.
• Eurogate: European container terminal operator with major terminals in Germany, Portugal, Italy, and Russia, plus intermodal services. Directly comparable to SEA-invest in multi-port European container handling and integrated logistics offerings.
• Katoen Natie: Belgian-headquartered industrial logistics and terminal operator active across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Closely comparable to SEA-invest as a Belgian-rooted, privately held, vertically integrated port logistics and warehousing group serving industrial customers.
• C. Steinweg: Global logistics provider headquartered in Rotterdam handling breakbulk, dry bulk, project cargo, metals, and containerized goods. Comparable to SEA-invest in multi-port operations across Europe and Africa, integrated warehousing, and focus on industrial commodities and metals.
• Vopak: Amsterdam-listed global tank storage operator with ~70 terminals worldwide. The closest direct peer to SEA-invest's SEA-Tank division, with comparable liquid bulk storage of petroleum, chemicals, biofuels, and vegetable oils at European ports.
• Oiltanking: German-headquartered global tank storage company (part of Marquard & Bahls) operating terminals across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Directly comparable to SEA-Tank Terminal for petroleum, chemical, and gas storage; competes with SEA-invest for the same industrial bulk-liquid customer base.

Emerging players

• International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI): Philippines-based port operator with a growing global portfolio spanning Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Comparable to SEA-invest in container and multi-cargo terminal operations, and increasingly competitive in African ports (DRC, Madagascar, Honduras) where SEA-invest also has exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sea_invest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries53 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about SEA-invest