Paramount Enterprises International

What Paramount Enterprises International does

Paramount Enterprises International is a private, US-headquartered defense logistics company founded in 1989 and based at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, operating under the brand PEI Ship. The company specializes in international intermodal freight forwarding for Class 1 hazardous materials, explosives, munitions, and other high-value cargo, serving defense, aerospace, automotive, and commercial customers across North America, Europe, Scandinavia, the Arctic, the Eastern Mediterranean, and North Africa. Its core operational platform comprises a dedicated fleet of IMO Class 1 cargo vessels (approximately 12 transatlantic voyages annually, totaling 7 US Flag vessels including the ice-class certified M/V Maj Richard Winters and 5 neutral-flag vessels, each with up to 1,000 MT NEQ capacity), an ATF-certified bunker facility in Plattsburgh, NY for hazmat storage and cross-docking, full- and part-charter air freight capabilities, and integrated land freight via partner trucking and rail networks.

The company generates revenue through three primary streams: freight forwarding services (transaction fees on sea, air, and land moves), storage and handling at the Plattsburgh bunker, and defense logistics contracts including a 2021-2025 US Army IDIQ contract for TNT supply supporting demilitarization operations. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales concentrated at major defense trade shows (Eurosatory, AUSA, MSPO) and direct relationships with prime contractors such as General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and Nitro-Chem, the only NATO-nation TNT manufacturer approved under the US Army contract. Despite a very small disclosed employee base of 1-10, the asset footprint (vessels, certified depot, FMS/DCS capability for allied-nation defense procurement) supports large-scale defense programs including the MK84 General Purpose Bomb program that delivered over 20,000 MT of TNT to the US Air Force through 2020.

Name

Paramount Enterprises International

Legal name

Paramount Enterprises International, Inc.

Website

https://peiship.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Paramount Enterprises International is a Philadelphia-based, private defense logistics company founded in 1989 that provides intermodal freight forwarding, ATF-certified hazmat storage, and FMS/DCS services for Class 1 explosives and high-value cargo serving US DoD, allied nations, and commercial customers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Logistics Services

NAICS

Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (481212), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Warehousing and Storage (493)

SIC

Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Aircraft (3721)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerospace & Defense (TLAIALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Defense & Aerospace Project Cargo (Military/Aircraft Components) (TLADAGAJ), Hazmat Air Cargo Transport (IATA DGR compliant) (TLADAIAH), Time-Critical & AOG (Aircraft on Ground) Specialized Forwarding (TLACAJAI)

Keywords

• Defense logistics services
• Hazmat freight forwarding
• Explosives cargo shipping
• Intermodal transportation
• Military cargo logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Intermodal/multimodal transportation services for Class 1 hazardous materials and high-value cargo including sea freight, air freight, and land freight operations. Services include distribution, 3PL, cargo consolidation, inventory management, and international door-to-door solutions.
2. Storage and Handling Services: Short and long-term storage of Class 1 hazmat cargo at ATF-certified bunker facility. Includes loading, cross-docking, and consolidation services.
3. Defense Logistics Contracts: IDIQ (Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity) contracts with US Department of Defense for supply of raw materials like TNT for demilitarization operations. Five-year contract structure (2021-2025).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Paramount Enterprises International is an international, intermodal freight forwarder and defense logistics company that specializes in shipping Class 1 hazardous materials (explosives, munitions) and other high-value cargo by sea, land, and air. The company operates dedicated IMO Class 1 cargo vessels on transatlantic routes between Europe and North America, maintains an ATF-certified bunker facility for hazmat storage, and provides door-to-door logistics including FMS/DCS defense logistics, cargo consolidation, and documentation services to defense, aerospace, automotive, and commercial customers globally.

Product overview

PARAMOUNT Enterprises International is an international/intermodal freight forwarder and defense logistics company founded in 1989, specializing in the shipping by sea, land and air of Class 1 hazardous materials and other high-value cargo, including explosives/munitions, complex project cargo, automotive and time-sensitive cargo. The company offers a unified suite of integrated logistics services including Sea Freight (operating dedicated Class 1 explosive cargo vessels on trans-Atlantic routes), Air Freight (full and part-charter solutions), Land Freight (trucking and rail), Bunker Facility (ATF-certified loading, cross-docking and storage for hazmat cargo), FMS/DCS (Foreign Military Sales and Direct Commercial Sales for defense logistics), and Documents & Permits services. The company serves defense, aerospace, automotive and commercial customers globally from its headquarters in Philadelphia, PA with operations across North America and Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sea Freight Services
• Air Freight Services
• Land Freight Services
• Bunker Facility Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 dedicated IMO cargo ships per year with 1,000 MT NEQ Class 1 capacity each
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nitro-ChemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021TNT manufacturing partner based in Bydgoszcz, Poland - the only NATO-nation manufacturer approved under US Army IDIQ contract for TNT supply. Paramount teamed with Nitro-Chem to provide US Government with raw material TNT for demilitarization operations under 5-year contract (2021-2025). Initial award of 1,000,000 lbs TNT in 2021.
• Dyno Nobel (North America)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Explosives and blasting services provider that recognized Paramount team members for excellence in logistics execution and customer service. Active commercial relationship for logistics services.
• Stanford University Solar Car ProjectminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2019Co-sponsored Stanford University Solar Car team's participation in Bridgestone World Solar Challenge Australia. Paramount shipped the student-designed race vehicle and lithium ion battery from California to Australia.
• Pol-MarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Poland-based logistics partner working with Paramount and General Dynamics. Key contributor to MK84 General Purpose Bomb delivery program supplying over 20,000 MT TNT to US Air Force. Partnership formed at MSPO defense trade show in Kielce, Poland.
• General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Prime contractor for US Air Force bomb delivery program. Paramount serves as strategic supply chain partner providing transatlantic and CONUS logistics for TNT supply. GD OTS program resulted in revenue exceeding USD $100M through 2020.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: Global freight forwarder with a dedicated defense and government services division that handles Class 1 hazmat, aerospace cargo, and intermodal solutions — broad incumbent operating across many verticals including the defense logistics niche Paramount serves.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Major global freight forwarder with DHL Defence Logistics offering specialized hazardous materials transport and military/government cargo services across air, sea, and land — comparable multimodal capability for defense and high-value cargo.
• Expeditors International: Large US-headquartered freight forwarder with air/ocean cargo capabilities, including hazardous materials handling — broad incumbent with overlapping service lines in international air and ocean freight forwarding.
• DSV Panalpina: Global transport and logistics provider with significant defense, aerospace, and hazmat capabilities following the Panalpina and Schenker acquisitions — directly comparable multimodal forwarding business targeting similar customer segments.
• CEVA Logistics: Global 3PL with dedicated aerospace, defense, and industrial verticals offering intermodal transport, warehousing, and specialized cargo handling — broader portfolio but overlapping with Paramount's defense and hazmat freight forwarding business.
• PAE (Amentum): Major US defense and government services contractor (formerly PAE, now part of Amentum) that operates logistics and base operations for DoD — broader incumbent with significant defense logistics contract portfolio comparable to Paramount's IDIQ positioning.
• KBR Government Solutions: Large government services contractor providing logistics, base operations, and specialized materiel handling for DoD and allied nations — broad incumbent with comparable defense logistics and FMS capabilities.

Direct peers

• AAR Corp: US-listed aviation services provider with government and defense logistics businesses including parts distribution, MRO support, and integrated supply chain solutions for DoD and allied customers — direct comparable in defense-focused aerospace logistics.
• VSE Corporation: Provider of aftermarket distribution and repair services for aviation and land/sea defense systems, with US DoD logistics contracts — comparable in serving defense customers with specialized logistics and supply chain services.
• TransAtlantic Lines: Specialized breakbulk and project cargo ocean carrier handling oversized and sensitive cargoes including defense and aerospace shipments — direct comparable in the niche of specialized/project cargo shipping that overlaps with Paramount's transatlantic Class 1 vessel operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paramount-enterprises-international-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Paramount Enterprises International