What Ultramar does

Ultramar (legal name: Ultramar – Agenciamiento y Soluciones Integrales) is a privately held Chilean business group founded in 1951, providing integrated ship agency, industrial logistics, and port terminal services for foreign trade clients. The company operates through three core service lines: (1) ship agency, including vessel reception and release, documentation for import/export cargo and transshipments, launch services, crew and passenger attention, and shipping line representations; (2) industrial logistics, covering transportation, warehousing, and specialized handling for oversized and heavy cargo with direct port connections; and (3) port terminal operations, including container, bulk, and multipurpose terminals with wharfage, berth assignment, and cargo transfer services.

The group is organized through more than 150 wholly-owned operational companies including Ultramar Agencia Marítima, Ultraport, Puerto Angamos, TPC, UASL, Axinntus, Naves Colombia, Transtotal, Navinter, Rochamar, and Stierlift. Geographically, Ultramar is present in 27 countries across the Americas (including Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, USA, Canada, Panama, Uruguay, and Guatemala), Northern Europe, and Asia, with 17 countries of presence in the Americas specifically. The company mobilizes 10.4 million tons of cargo annually with a workforce exceeding 5,000 employees.

Revenue is generated through B2B professional services contracts with shipping lines, port operators, cargo owners, and international trade companies, distributed through direct enterprise field sales with no intermediary channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured as custom B2B contracts. The company is privately held with no public listing or external parent company identified, and is led by President Richard von Appen. In 2024, Ultramar launched its first formal Mentoring Program with 24 mentor-mentee pairs across 10 countries, indicating continued organizational and cross-border integration investment.

Name

Ultramar

Legal name

Ultramar – Agenciamiento y Soluciones Integrales

Website

https://ultramar.cl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ultramar is a privately held Chilean business group providing integrated ship agency, industrial logistics, and port terminal operations for foreign trade clients, operating across 27 countries with 5,000+ employees and 150+ operational companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Logistics and Port Terminal Services

NAICS

Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Marine Cargo Handling (48832), Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

NVOCC Operations & Ocean Consolidation (TLACABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ocean Freight Brokerage (FCL/LCL) (TLADAMAF)

Keywords

• Ship agency services
• Port terminal operations
• Industrial logistics
• Foreign trade shipping
• Cargo transportation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santiago

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Shipping Agency Services: Vessel reception and release services, documentation processing for import and export cargo and transshipments, launch services, crew and passenger attendance, shipping line representations
2. Transportation and Warehousing: Transportation, warehousing and cargo services for foreign trade with direct connections to ports, transport and lifting services for oversized and heavy cargo
3. Port Terminal Operations: Operation of container, bulk and multipurpose port terminals including wharfage services, berth assignment, vessel attendance, transfer and unloading services

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Ultramar is a Chilean business group providing ship agency services (vessel reception and dispatch, import/export documentation, transshipment handling, launch services, crew and passenger attendance, and shipping line representation), industrial logistics (transportation, warehousing, and cargo services for foreign trade including oversized/heavy cargo lifting), and port terminal operations (container, bulk, and multipurpose terminals offering wharfage, berth assignment, vessel attendance, and cargo transfer services).

Product overview

Ultramar is a business group dedicated to Agency and Integral Solutions, Industrial Logistics, and Port Operations. The company offers ship agency services (vessel reception, documentation for import/export cargo, shipping line representation), industrial logistics services (transportation, warehousing, oversized cargo handling), and port terminal operations (container, bulk, and multipurpose terminals). The company operates with 73 years of trajectory, presence in 27 countries through more than 150 operational companies, and manages over 10.4 million tons of cargo annually with a team of more than 5,000 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ship Agency Services (Agenciamiento) Service for vessel reception and dispatch at ports, documentation processing for import, export, and transshipment cargo, launch services, crew and passenger attendance, and shipping line representation. For shipping lines, port operators, and international trade companies engaged in foreign trade.
• Industrial Logistics (Logística Industrial) Transportation, warehousing, and cargo services for foreign trade with direct connections to ports, plus specialized transport and lifting services for oversized and heavy cargo. For international trade companies requiring end-to-end cargo movement and storage solutions.
• Port Terminal Operations (Operación Portuaria) Operation of container, bulk, and multipurpose port terminals, including wharfage services, berth assignment, vessel attendance, cargo transfer, and unloading services for general and oversized cargo. For shipping lines, cargo owners, and international trade operators requiring terminal handling capacity.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI): Philippine-listed global container terminal operator with port concessions in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Comparable in container and multipurpose terminal operations but operates at significantly larger scale across a more diverse international footprint.
• Hapag-Lloyd: German-headquartered global container shipping line operating deep sea freight services worldwide. Comparable as a customer of and adjacent participant in ocean freight agency services that Ultramar provides, though Hapag-Lloyd is a carrier rather than an agent.
• DP World: UAE-based global terminal operator and logistics provider operating 80+ marine terminals across six continents. Overlaps with Ultramar's port terminal operations and freight forwarding, though DP World operates at vastly larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• A.P. Moller-Maersk: Danish global integrated container logistics company combining ocean shipping, port operations, and end-to-end supply chain services. Comparable across Ultramar's ocean agency and logistics lines, but competes as a much larger, vertically integrated incumbent.

Direct peers

• Inchcape Shipping Services: Global ship agency and maritime services provider offering vessel agency, crew services, and port call support across 60+ countries. Closely matches Ultramar's shipping agency business line and competes for the same ocean carrier customers.
• Wilhelmsen Ships Service: Norwegian-headquartered global maritime services group providing ship agency, marine products, and crew welfare services. Comparable vessel agency business model and global port coverage, particularly relevant to Ultramar's Northern Europe presence.
• SAAM (Sudamericana Agencias Aéreas y Marítimas): Chilean-headquartered port terminal operator and logistics group with shipping agency, towage, and port terminal services across the Americas. Directly comparable to Ultramar as a regional peer with overlapping shipping agency, port operations, and logistics offerings anchored in Latin America.
• Agencias Universales (Agunsa): Chilean conglomerate providing port services, shipping agency, freight forwarding, and logistics across Latin America. Closely mirrors Ultramar's three-pillar structure of agency, industrial logistics, and port operations, and serves overlapping enterprise customers in foreign trade.

Emerging players

• Grupo TCB (Terminal de Contenedores de Barcelona): Container terminal operator and logistics provider with operations primarily across Spain and Latin America. Comparable in container and multipurpose terminal operations with regional Latin American exposure similar to Ultramar's footprint.

Regional players

• Empresa Nacional Portuaria (ENP): State port operator in Honduras providing container terminal and port logistics services in Central America. Comparable regional port operator with similar cargo-handling and terminal operations business model, though focused on a different Central American geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grupo-ultramar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries11 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 Ultramar