What Coastal Transportation, Inc. does

Coastal Transportation, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned maritime shipping company founded in 1984 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that operates scheduled weekly cargo transportation between Seattle and ports throughout Western Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. The company runs a fleet of five purpose-built refrigerated freighters — Coastal Trader, Coastal Navigator, Coastal Progress, Coastal Nomad, and Coastal Standard — ranging from 237 to 260 feet in length with cargo capacities up to 2,000 metric tons each and refrigerated holds capable of handling dry, chilled, and frozen cargo. Operations are supported by owned terminals at a four-acre Salmon Bay facility in Seattle and at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, both capable of berthing vessels up to 400 feet; a 15-car rail spur on-site provides intermodal connectivity with Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railways. Approximately 8–9 crew members operate each vessel on 24-day voyages, with officers and unlicensed crew following distinct rotation schedules.

The company serves three primary customer segments: commercial fishing operators in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (transport of frozen pollock, cod, crab, and salmon plus bait and supplies); construction and heavy-equipment shippers requiring roll-on/roll-off handling (Coastal Standard supports up to 80,000 lbs on its RoRo ramp); and general cargo shippers moving consumer goods, vehicles, and materials to remote Alaskan communities. The service portfolio extends beyond core freight to include short-term cold storage at Seattle and Dutch Harbor, shipper's interest cargo insurance up to $3,000,000 in declared value, online booking and Paystation-enabled payment processing, and real-time vessel tracking. The Summer Mariner Program operates as a crew-training pipeline on the 65-foot Curlew.

Revenue is generated primarily through published marine tariff rates per commodity type (Item 5 commodity-specific charges ranging from $15.25 to $69.62 per unit), a variable fuel surcharge currently at 29.75% of total freight charges (May 2026), terminal handling fees, and ancillary insurance premiums. Pricing is transactional rather than subscription-based, with annual general rate increases of approximately 6.25–6.5% on ocean freight indicating steady pricing power within the niche Alaska coastal trade lane.

Name

Coastal Transportation, Inc.

Legal name

Coastal Transportation, Inc.

Website

https://coastaltransportation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Coastal Transportation is a family-owned Seattle-based maritime shipper providing weekly refrigerated and general cargo service between Seattle and Western Alaska ports using five purpose-built vessels and owned terminals in Seattle and Dutch Harbor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Freight Services

NAICS

Coastal and Great Lakes Freight Transportation (483113), Marine Cargo Handling (488320)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Dry Bulk Ocean Shipping (Capesize/Panamax/Handysize) (TLADAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Expedited Ocean (Premium/Guaranteed / Fast-Transit Sea Freight) (TLADANAI)

Keywords

• Ocean freight shipping
• Cargo transportation services
• Refrigerated cargo shipping
• Alaskan marine logistics
• Heavy equipment transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ocean Freight Transportation: Core revenue from transporting cargo (dry, chilled, frozen products, heavy equipment, vehicles, construction materials) between Seattle and Western Alaska ports. Charges based on tariff rates per commodity type (TLI numbers) plus fuel surcharges.
2. Fuel Surcharge: Variable fuel surcharge (currently 29.75% of total freight charge as of May 22, 2026) adjusted based on petroleum costs and market conditions
3. Terminal Services: Terminal handling, cold storage, warehouse services at Seattle and Dutch Harbor facilities
4. Cargo Insurance: Shipper's Interest Cargo Insurance offering up to $3,000,000 coverage at rates up to 0.50% of declared value

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Coastal Transportation provides scheduled weekly ocean freight services between Seattle, Washington and Western Alaska/Aleutian Islands ports using a fleet of five purpose-built refrigerated cargo vessels (each up to 2,000 metric tons). The company transports dry, chilled, and frozen cargo (including frozen seafood, construction equipment, vehicles, building materials, and consumer goods) and operates its own terminals with cold storage in Seattle and Dutch Harbor.

Product overview

Coastal Transportation, Inc. is a family-owned shipping company offering a unified cargo transportation service connecting Western Alaska to the world through scheduled weekly sailings between Seattle and ports throughout Western Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. The core product is freight transportation with a fleet of five purpose-built cargo vessels (Coastal Trader, Coastal Navigator, Coastal Progress, Coastal Nomad, and Coastal Standard), each equipped with refrigeration capabilities. The company offers integrated add-on services including heavy cargo transport, cold storage facilities at Seattle and Dutch Harbor terminals, cargo insurance, online booking and payment through Paystation, fleet tracking, and a Summer Mariner Program for crew training. With 40 years of expertise since 1984, the service portfolio includes both northbound consumer goods and southbound frozen seafood transport, with terminals capable of handling vessels up to 400 feet in length.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cargo Transportation Services Weekly scheduled cargo transportation between Seattle, WA and ports throughout Western Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, including Dutch Harbor, Sand Point, Chignik, King Cove, Cold Bay, False Pass, and other locations. Handles dry, chilled, and frozen products with a fleet of five purpose-built vessels.
• Heavy Cargo & Construction Equipment Transport Specialized transport of heavy cargo including road vehicles, construction equipment, machinery, and oversized freight. Coastal Standard accommodates up to 80,000 lbs on its roll-on/roll-off ramp and 9,036 lbs on its elevator.
• Cold Storage Services Short-term dry and cold storage facilities at the Seattle and Dutch Harbor terminals for frozen seafood handling and perishable cargo.
• Cargo Insurance Shipper's Interest Cargo Insurance providing first-party coverage with declared values up to $3,000,000, rates up to 0.50% of declared value, and warehouse-to-warehouse coverage with all risks per London Institute Clauses.
• Coastal Standard Vessel Newest vessel in the fleet, built in 2015 in Anacortes, WA. 225 feet long with 3,084 HP, 80,000 lbs roll-on/roll-off ramp capacity, and 9,036 lbs elevator capacity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,200+ roundtrip voyages completed over 40 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Union Pacific RailwaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing cooperation with Union Pacific railway for efficient transfer of cargo across land. The Seattle terminal features a 15-car rail spur enabling intermodal transport of frozen cargo and general freight via Union Pacific network.
• Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) RailwaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Burlington Northern for railway cargo transfer services. Combined with Union Pacific, provides comprehensive rail connectivity for coast-to-coast cargo distribution.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Pasha Hawaii: Pacific ocean carrier serving Hawaii-Pacific trade lanes; comparable mid-size vessel and refrigerated cargo operations but operating in a different geography from CTI's Alaska corridor.

Direct peers

• Alaska Marine Lines: A Lynden-owned barge operator serving Southeast Alaska and Western Alaska ports, directly competing for many of the same commercial-fishing, retail, and construction customers.
• Northland Services: Provides marine cargo and vessel management across Alaska, including Western Alaska ports directly served by CTI; comparable vessel/fleet profile and customer base.
• Foss Maritime Company: Pacific Northwest tug, barge, and marine transportation company sharing geography and customer types with CTI, including harbor services and cargo movement around Puget Sound and Alaska.
• Samson Tug & Barge: Alaska-focused tug and barge operator serving Western Alaska ports and supporting remote-cargo logistics, directly comparable to CTI's footprint and customer base.
• TOTE Maritime Alaska: TOTE operates weekly Tacoma-Anchorage RoRo and container services, the most direct functional and geographic peer for CTI's mixed-freight Seattle-Alaska sailings.
• Lynden Inc. Lynden is the largest Alaska logistics provider, combining marine, air cargo, trucking, and barge services — many overlapping CTI's customer base of remote-Alaska shippers and the same Seattle-Alaska corridors.

Broad incumbents

• Crowley Maritime Corporation: Large diversified maritime operator with logistics, energy, and Alaska services including ship-assist and freight — a much broader incumbent that overlaps CTI in Western Alaska logistics.
• Matson Navigation Company: Public Pacific carrier (NYSE: MATX) providing scheduled container service to Anchorage and Kodiak — overlapping with CTI on Alaska lanes but a much larger, multi-island operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coastal-transportation

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 Coastal Transportation, Inc.