Cargo Shipping International

What Cargo Shipping International does

Cargo Shipping International (CSI), legally Cargo Shipping International Ltd., is a privately held Dutch freight forwarding company founded in 1984 and headquartered in Rotterdam at Veerkade 8F, positioned within one of Europe's largest container ports. The company provides multi-modal international shipping services including ocean freight (FCL/LCL), Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) shipping, break-bulk, air freight (delivered via a partnership with IATA-member Slade Air Netherlands), road transport, and specialized project cargo. Its operational model is asset-light: CSI does not own vessels or aircraft, instead coordinating shipments through its own direct sales force and an extensive network of agents and partners across more than 100 countries, with particular depth in Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

CSI generates revenue primarily through transaction fees on individual shipments, supplemented by value-added service fees for customs documentation, freight insurance arrangement, storage and warehousing, and import/export compliance support. It serves four main customer segments: enterprise import/export businesses (its primary segment), private individuals shipping personal vehicles and household goods, pharmaceutical and healthcare companies requiring cold chain logistics, and heavy equipment and construction industry customers needing specialized oversized cargo handling. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to shipment specifications, with a pay-as-you-go billing cadence and no publicly disclosed long-term contracts. The company also operates a "Book Directly" self-serve online portal for air freight, vehicle transport, road transport, and container bookings, supplementing its predominantly sales-led go-to-market motion.

The company's technology stack is traditional and non-proprietary: no internal software platforms, APIs, AI capabilities, patents, trademarks, or third-party certifications are disclosed. Customer engagement is relationship-driven, with a dedicated contact person assigned per project and frequent customer testimonials emphasizing personal service and direct communication. Scale metrics cited on the company website include 53 million products delivered, a 98.9% success rate, 15,000+ satisfied clients, and $346 million+ worth of cargo transported, though the time window for these cumulative figures is not specified. CSI has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity in its history.

Name

Cargo Shipping International

Legal name

Cargo Shipping International Ltd.

Website

https://cargoshippinginternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cargo Shipping International is a Dutch freight forwarding company offering ocean, air, RoRo, container, and project cargo services through a global agent network spanning 100+ countries. It serves enterprise import/export clients, private individuals, and specialized pharmaceutical and heavy machinery verticals with door-to-door logistics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

FCL (Full Container Load) Ocean Forwarding (TLACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL) (TLACABAF), Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), Ocean Freight Brokerage (FCL/LCL) (TLADAMAF)

Keywords

• Ocean freight forwarding
• Air freight services
• Container shipping
• Roll-on roll-off shipping
• Project cargo logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ocean Freight Forwarding: Fees charged for international sea freight shipping services including container shipping, RoRo shipping, and break-bulk cargo. Services include door-to-door solutions, customs documentation, and cargo insurance arrangement.
2. Air Freight Services: Revenue generated from air cargo shipping solutions, including time-sensitive shipments. Services provided in collaboration with Slade Air Netherlands.
3. Project Cargo and Specialized Logistics: Fees for handling complex, oversized cargo including heavy machinery, industrial equipment, and specialized project cargo requiring custom logistics solutions.
4. Road Transport and Inland Logistics: Revenue from road transport services in containers and rolling material, including last-mile delivery and inland transportation coordination.
5. Value-Added Services: Additional fees for customs clearance assistance, documentation processing, freight insurance arrangement, storage and warehousing, and import/export compliance support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cargo Shipping International is a Netherlands-based freight forwarding company that arranges international cargo transportation across ocean (FCL/LCL, Ro/Ro, break-bulk), air, and road modes for businesses and private individuals worldwide. Its portfolio spans project cargo, heavy machinery, and pharmaceutical/cold-chain logistics, complemented by customs documentation, freight insurance, storage/warehousing, and inbound shipping management for door-to-door delivery to 100+ countries.

Product overview

Cargo Shipping International (CSI) is a freight forwarding company offering a comprehensive suite of logistics services. The core portfolio includes Ocean Freight Services, Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro/Ro) Shipping, Container Shipping (both FCL and LCL), and Air Freight Services (via partner Slade Air Netherlands). These are complemented by specialized offerings such as Project Cargo, Break-Bulk Shipping, Heavy Machinery Shipping, and Cold Chain/Pharmaceutical Logistics. Value-added services include Freight Insurance, Customs Documentation, and Storage/Warehousing. The company provides end-to-end solutions combining these services to deliver door-to-door cargo transport to global destinations, particularly serving Africa, the Middle and Far East, and Central and South America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ocean Freight Services Sea freight forwarding solutions tailored to individual customer requirements, delivering cargo to any global destination as part of CSI's multi-modal freight forwarding portfolio.
• Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro/Ro) Shipping Ro/Ro cargo shipping service allowing vehicles and rolling cargo to be driven directly onto and off transport vessels, providing reliable and cost-effective EXW/FCA solutions to destination countries across Africa, the Middle East, Far East, and Central/South America.
• Container Shipping (FCL/LCL) Container shipping services offering both Full Container Load (FCL) and Less Than Container Load (LCL) options for international cargo transport.
• Air Freight Services Air-freight forwarding solutions provided in collaboration with Slade Air Netherlands (IATA member), covering time-sensitive shipments from origin through to final destination.
• Break-Bulk Shipping Shipping services for non-containerized cargo that is loaded individually rather than in bulk commodity format, complementing CSI's ocean freight capabilities.
• Project Cargo Specialized handling and transportation of large, heavy, or complex project cargo requiring custom logistics solutions for industrial and infrastructure clients.
• Road Transport Inland road transportation services for containers and rolling material, including last-mile delivery and door-to-door inland logistics coordination.
• Cold Chain Logistics / Pharmaceutical Shipping Temperature-controlled transportation for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, ensuring product quality and regulatory compliance through the cold chain process.
• Heavy Machinery Shipping International shipping services for heavy equipment such as pavers, concrete mixers, forklifts, and bulldozers using Ro-Ro and flat rack containers with specialized securing and lashing.
• Book Directly Self-Serve Portal Online self-serve booking portal letting customers arrange air freight, vehicle transport, road transport, and container shipments directly without full sales-team engagement.
• Inbound Shipping Management Cost-efficient inbound logistics management service including freight cost analysis, resource allocation, and supply chain optimization for importers and buying organizations.
• Freight Insurance Arrangement Arrangement of tailor-made transport insurance coverage protecting customer cargo against loss or damage during international shipping.
• Customs Documentation Services Assistance with import/export documentation including customs clearance, commercial invoices, packing lists, export licenses, EUR.1 certificates, bill of lading, sea waybills, and letters of credit.
• Storage and Warehousing Storage facilities for cargo before or after transportation, with import duties and VAT assistance as part of CSI's value-added logistics services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 53 million products delivered
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Slade Air NetherlandscoreTechnology or IntegrationCSI provides air-freight forwarding solutions in collaboration with Slade Air Netherlands, an IATA member. This partnership enables comprehensive air cargo services, with Slade Air handling the actual air freight operations while CSI coordinates logistics from origin to final destination.
• Global Agent NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCSI maintains an extensive network of agents throughout the global supply chain. This network enables seamless transportation of goods via RoRo shipping, door-to-door shipping, container shipping, and project cargo. The network provides local expertise and customer acquisition in key markets across Africa, the Americas, Middle East, Far East, and Caribbean.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: Kuehne+Nagel is one of the world's largest freight forwarders, offering sea freight (FCL/LCL), air freight, road transport, and specialized project cargo. It is a broad incumbent competitor with overlapping capabilities to CSI but at vastly greater scale, serving global enterprise accounts.
• DSV Panalpina: DSV is a major global freight forwarder with deep sea, air, and road freight forwarding, plus project logistics. It competes with CSI in the same ocean and air forwarding space but serves a much broader enterprise customer base across more geographies.
• DHL Global Forwarding: DHL Global Forwarding is the air and ocean freight arm of Deutsche Post DHL, offering end-to-end international forwarding, customs brokerage, and specialized logistics. It is a direct overlapping incumbent to CSI's ocean, air, and customs services.
• Expeditors International: Expeditors is a US-headquartered global logistics company specializing in ocean and air freight forwarding with strong customs brokerage capabilities. It overlaps CSI's service portfolio in international ocean/air forwarding but operates at a substantially larger scale.
• C.H. Robinson: C.H. Robinson is one of the largest global freight brokers and 3PLs, offering ocean, air, and truck brokerage with NA ocean container services. It competes with CSI in international ocean and air forwarding, primarily in the SMB and mid-market segments.
• CEVA Logistics: CEVA Logistics is a global 3PL offering ocean and air freight forwarding, contract logistics, and ground distribution. Headquartered in Marseille with strong European port operations (including Rotterdam-relevant lanes), it is a comparable incumbent in the same forwarding categories as CSI.
• Maersk Logistics & Services: Maersk's logistics arm offers end-to-end ocean and inland freight forwarding, customs house brokerage, and door-to-door services. As both a carrier and forwarder, it competes with CSI in ocean forwarding and Rotterdam-port-anchored trade lanes.

Emerging players

• Flexport: Flexport is a digital-first freight forwarder offering ocean and air forwarding with online booking, automated documentation, and visibility tools. It targets the same SMB and mid-market shippers CSI serves but differentiates via proprietary technology — making it a structural threat to non-tech-enabled forwarders.

Regional players

• Sinotrans: Sinotrans is China's largest freight forwarder and logistics provider, offering international ocean/air freight, project cargo, and customs clearance. It is a comparable peer in ocean forwarding and complex project cargo but primarily serves Asia-origin flows rather than CSI's Rotterdam-anchored Africa/Middle East/LatAm lanes.

Direct peers

• Blue Water Shipping: Blue Water Shipping is a Denmark-headquartered, mid-sized global forwarder specializing in Ro/Ro, project cargo, heavy lift, and cold-chain logistics — directly overlapping CSI's specialized service lines. It is similarly mid-sized and comparable in scope to CSI, with overlapping competitive positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC
• Facebookfacebook.com/cargoshippingintl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cargo-shipping-international
• Xx.com/CargoShippingI2

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 Cargo Shipping International