Karim Export

What Karim Export does

Karim Export SA is a privately held Belgian logistics and vehicle trading company founded in 1989 in Brussels. It operates an integrated four-service platform spanning maritime transport (regular departures from Antwerp to West African destinations), road transport between Belgium and Africa, new and used vehicle sales through two Brussels showrooms, and customs agency services. The company holds three Belgian regulatory licenses: road transport carrier (No. 17466), freight forwarder (No. 84104), and customs representative (No. 2021), enabling it to handle shipment, port handling, customs clearance, marine insurance, and tracking in-house rather than outsourcing those functions.

The business exports more than 20,000 vehicles annually, generated primarily through a B2B/B2C direct sales motion that reaches individual vehicle exporters, vehicle buyers in Belgium, and West African import businesses. Operations are supported by a network of local agents across 13+ African cities including Abidjan, Conakry, Dakar, Douala, Lagos, Libreville, Lome, Luanda, Malabo, Mombasa, Nouakchott, Pointe Noire, Cotonou, and Boma/Matadi, providing on-the-ground customs and last-mile delivery. Vehicle inventory is also distributed through the AutoScout24 Belgium marketplace.

Revenue is generated through a mix of transaction fees on shipping services, one-time margins on new and used vehicle sales, and professional services fees for customs clearance. Pricing is quoted per vehicle type (CAR, MINI VAN, BIG VAN, TRUCK), varies with oil prices and USD/EUR exchange rates, and is primarily pay-as-you-go. The company does not disclose revenue, has not raised institutional funding, and operates with a small (11-50) employee base, suggesting a privately controlled, founder-led operator with modest scale relative to its through-put claims.

Name

Karim Export

Legal name

KARIM EXPORT SA

Website

https://karimexport.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Karim Export is a Brussels-based logistics company, founded in 1989, that exports more than 20,000 vehicles annually from Belgium to West and Central Africa via maritime and road transport, offering in-house customs clearance and vehicle sales through its Brussels showrooms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Freight Transport

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHSAKACAJ

International Vehicle Shipping & Import Assistance

Home & Personal Services/Moving, Storage & Relocation Services/International Moving & Relocation Services

SECONDARYTLACAFAB

Export Customs Clearance (Export Declarations & AES/EEI)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Customs Brokerage & Clearance

SECONDARYTLACAFAI

Customs Consulting & Brokerage Outsourcing (Managed Brokerage, Brokerage Operations)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Customs Brokerage & Clearance

SECONDARYTLACAHAD

Export/Import Documentation Preparation (Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Shipper’s Letter of Instruction)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Freight Documentation & Cargo Insurance Services (B/L, AWB, Certificates)

Keywords

• Maritime transport services
• Vehicle export logistics
• Customs clearance services
• Road freight transport
• Used vehicle sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Molenbeek-saint-jean

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Maritime Transport Services: Sea freight transport of vehicles and goods between Belgium (Antwerp port) and West Africa destinations. Services include vehicle reception, export preparation, port handling, customs clearance, maritime shipping, and tracking.
2. Vehicle Sales: Sale of new and used vehicles (cars, 4x4, trucks, industrial machines) from showrooms in Brussels. Both retail sales and export sales to African markets.
3. Customs Services: Customs agency services for goods imported or exported by maritime shipping. Includes document preparation (EXA), customs clearance assistance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Karim Export provides maritime and road transport of vehicles and goods between Belgium (Antwerp port) and West Africa, complemented by new and used vehicle sales through Brussels showrooms and an in-house customs agency that handles export documentation and clearance. The integrated offering covers vehicle reception, export preparation, port handling, customs clearance, marine insurance, maritime shipping with tracking, and last-mile delivery via a network of local West African agents.

Product overview

Karim Export operates as a unified transport and vehicle sales platform comprising four interconnected core services: Maritime Transport (Transport maritime) providing regular departures to West Africa with full logistics chain management including preparation, customs, insurance and tracking; Road Transport (Transport routier) handling ground transportation between Belgium and West Africa; Vehicle Sales (Vente de véhicules) offering new and used vehicles through Brussels showrooms; and Customs Services (Douane) leveraging the company's proprietary customs agency for streamlined clearance. The integrated service model allows customers to purchase vehicles and arrange their complete export logistics through a single provider.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maritime Transport (Transport maritime) Sea freight transport of vehicles and goods from Antwerp port to West African destinations with regular departures. Includes vehicle reception, export preparation, port handling, marine insurance, shipment tracking, and after-sales service. Targets exporters and importers moving rolling stock between Belgium and West Africa.
• Road Transport (Transport routier) Road transport service for vehicles and goods between Belgium and West Africa. Supports the ground leg of the export logistics chain alongside maritime shipping.
• Vehicle Sales (Vente de véhicules) Sale of new and used vehicles including cars, 4x4s, trucks, and industrial machines from two showroom locations in Brussels (Rue Heyvaert 161 and 142-144). Inventory also listed on AutoScout24 Belgium. Targets both retail buyers and export customers.
• Customs Services (Douane) Customs agency services for goods imported or exported via maritime shipping, including document preparation (EXA) and customs clearance. Provided through the company's own registered customs agency in Belgium under matriculation number 2021.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Global Manutention GMCI (Abidjan)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal agent in Abidjan, Ivory Coast for customs documentation and local assistance.
• ConnexAfrica Kinshasa (Boma/Matadi)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgent covering Boma and Matadi in Democratic Republic of Congo for customs and delivery services.
• MSC Guinee (Conakry)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal shipping agent in Conakry, Guinea providing documentation and customs services.
• SOCOMAR DoualacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal agent in Douala, Cameroon for customs and shipping coordination services.
• SOCOPAO Senegal (Dakar)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDocumentation and shipping agent in Dakar, Senegal for Bollore Logistics.
• SOGECO (Nouakchott)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal partner in Nouakchott, Mauritania for customs and delivery services.
• Mathilde C. Atohountoun (Cotonou)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDocument delivery service in Cotonou, Benin with appointment-based documentary credit services.
• AutoScout24 BelgiumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marketplace for used vehicle listings. Karim Export operates as a professional seller on AutoScout24.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CFR Rinkens: International vehicle-shipping specialist offering roll-on/roll-off and container transport for cars and trucks worldwide. Comparable to Karim Export's door-to-port vehicle-export service model.
• Höegh Autoliners: Global pure-play ro-ro operator dedicated to deep-sea vehicle and high-and-heavy transport. Comparable because it competes for the same international vehicle-shipping bookings on Europe-to-Africa routes.
• Sallaum Lines: Portugal-based vehicle-shipping specialist running regular ro-ro services from Northern Europe and the Mediterranean to ports in West Africa. Closely matches Karim Export on the vehicle-cargo niche and Africa-bound trade lane.
• Grimaldi Lines: Italian shipping group combining ro-ro vehicle services with Mediterranean and West Africa liner connections. Competes for the same vehicle and rolling-stock flows Karim Export serves.

Broad incumbents

• CMA CGM: Global container and ro-ro shipping line with dedicated West Africa services and inland logistics extensions. Competes indirectly as a carrier that could internalize vehicle-shipping flows currently passed to specialist operators like Karim Export.
• DHL Global Forwarding: DHL's freight-forwarding and customs arm operates multimodal services into West Africa. Comparable as a large incumbent that could compete for or absorb vehicle-shipping and customs-clearance volumes.
• DSV: Large global forwarder with growing Africa network and broad customs capabilities. Relevant peer as a full-service freight and customs operator that could pursue niche corridors like Belgium-to-Africa vehicle flows.
• MSC Mediterranean Shipping: World's largest container line with extensive Africa liner services via subsidiaries such as Africa Express Line. Provides vessel capacity and door-to-door logistics that overlap with Karim Export's maritime and customs offering.
• Bollore Logistics: Global 3PL with one of the strongest West African footprints (own port and logistics operations in many of the same destinations Karim Export serves). Comparable as an incumbent arranging multimodal freight and customs clearance for shippers in Africa.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Top-tier global freight forwarder with significant Africa roadfreight and customs capabilities. Comparable as a broad forwarder that handles cross-border vehicle and general-cargo flows to African markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/karimexportbruxelles

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Karim Export