Trade Ocean

What Trade Ocean does

Trade Ocean is a privately held ships agency and logistics group operating across Southern Africa, headquartered in Cape Town with offices in Durban, Gqeberha, Johannesburg, Walvis Bay, and Lüderitz. Founded in 1997, the company delivers an integrated service portfolio covering ships agency (vessel representation, port operations, crew changes, disbursements), freight forwarding (sea, air, and road, including FCL, LCL, breakbulk, RoRo, project cargo), customs clearing (import/export declarations, tariff classification, permit and rebate processing), and cold chain logistics for perishables and pharmaceuticals. Operations are conducted through seven wholly-owned subsidiaries, including the Trade Fresh sub-brand for fresh logistics, AMA Shipping, and Pentrade Logistics, all of which hold ISO 9001:2015 certification, with Trade Ocean Shipping Services additionally holding B-BBEE Level 1 SANAS accreditation.

The underlying operating model is a logistics management platform combining real-time cargo tracking, customs documentation processing, and port coordination across the South Africa-Namibia trade corridor. Revenue is generated through professional services fees (agency, clearing, cold chain) and transaction-based freight forwarding fees, with quote-based, multi-year contract pricing customized by cargo type, volume, route, and service scope. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting vessel operators, trading companies, manufacturers, and cargo owners requiring port representation or cross-border logistics, supported by content marketing via the company's blog.

Customer segments are organized vertically and span general goods (FMCG, containerised cargo, engineering and mining equipment, project cargoes), perishables (frozen and chilled food, seafood, fresh produce, flowers), liquids and gas (tankers, offshore support vessels), and international vessels calling Southern African ports. The company is founder/management-controlled with no disclosed private equity or venture capital backing, and no revenue, funding, or M&A transaction data is publicly disclosed.

Name

Trade Ocean

Legal name

Trade Ocean Group

Website

https://tradeocean.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Trade Ocean is a privately held Southern African logistics group providing integrated ships agency, freight forwarding, customs clearing, and cold chain services to vessel operators, cargo owners, and perishable-goods exporters across South Africa and Namibia through six offices and seven subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111), Water Transportation (483)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLACABAG

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Ocean Freight Forwarding (FCL/LCL)

SECONDARYTLACABAE

Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Ocean Freight Forwarding (FCL/LCL)

SECONDARYTLACABAF

Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Ocean Freight Forwarding (FCL/LCL)

SECONDARYTLACABAC

NVOCC Operations & Ocean Consolidation

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Ocean Freight Forwarding (FCL/LCL)

Keywords

• Ships agency services
• Freight forwarding
• Customs clearing
• Cold chain logistics
• Port agency services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ships Agency Services: Vessel representation and port operations including arrival, berthing, departure coordination, port documentation, crew changes, and disbursement account management. Revenue earned through agency fees and port service charges.
2. Freight Forwarding: Sea freight (FCL, LCL, breakbulk, RoRo), air freight, road freight, project cargo and heavy-lift coordination, warehousing and cargo insurance. Revenue generated through freight booking fees, handling charges, and transport coordination fees.
3. Customs Clearing: Import and export declarations, tariff classification, duty management, permit and rebate processing, border post clearance. Revenue from clearance service fees and consultancy charges.
4. Cold Chain Logistics: Temperature-controlled shipments including airfreight and seafreight coordination, temperature monitoring, cold storage, and perishable goods clearance. Revenue from specialized handling fees and cold storage charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Trade Ocean is a ships agency and logistics group providing vessel representation, port operations, multi-modal freight forwarding (sea, air, road), customs clearing, and temperature-controlled cold chain logistics services across Southern Africa. The company operates through offices in South Africa (Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, Johannesburg) and Namibia (Walvis Bay, Lüderitz), serving vessel operators, importers, exporters, and cargo owners with integrated end-to-end logistics coordination under a single accountable team.

Product overview

Trade Ocean is a ships agency and logistics group operating across Southern Africa through an integrated service model. The core portfolio comprises four interconnected services: Ships Agency (vessel representation at Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, Walvis Bay, and Lüderitz ports), Freight Forwarding (sea, air, and road multi-modal transport), Customs Clearing (import/export declarations and border submissions), and Cold Chain Logistics (temperature-controlled perishable shipments). Operations extend through sub-brand Trade Fresh for fresh logistics specialization. The company operates offices in South Africa (Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, Johannesburg) and Namibia (Walvis Bay, Lüderitz), providing unified accountability from port operations through customs clearance to final delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Trade Fresh: Fresh logistics division of Trade Ocean specializing in time-critical airfreight and seafreight for perishables exports and imports, including cold chain solutions.

Products and services

• Ships Agency Vessel representation and port operations services covering arrival, berthing, departure coordination, port documentation, crew changes, and liaison with port authorities across South Africa and Namibia ports. Designed for international ship owners, operators, and charterers calling at Southern African ports.
• Freight Forwarding Multi-modal freight forwarding services including sea freight (FCL, LCL, breakbulk, RoRo), air freight, road freight, project cargo, heavy-lift coordination, warehousing, and cargo insurance across Southern Africa. Aimed at importers, exporters, traders, and cargo owners requiring coordinated transport solutions.
• Customs Clearing Customs documentation, tariff classification, border submissions, permit and rebate processing, customs consultancy, audit support, and border post clearance across South Africa and Namibia. Built for traders and cargo owners needing compliant import and export clearance.
• Cold Chain Logistics (Trade Fresh) Temperature-controlled logistics for perishables including airfreight and seafreight coordination, temperature monitoring, cold storage, customs clearing for perishable goods, and PPECB regulatory compliance. Targeted at fresh produce exporters/importers, seafood suppliers, floriculture exporters, and pharmaceutical clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Each extra day spent in customs can reduce trade volumes by up to 1% (World Bank)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Saccol Logistics: South African freight forwarder specializing in customs clearing, sea/air freight, and cargo handling with offices at major ports. Comparable mid-size Southern African forwarder with similar integrated offering.
• CFR Freight: South African freight forwarder and customs clearing specialist operating across sea, air, and road freight with multi-port coverage. Closest direct peer in scale, service mix, and geographic footprint.

Others

• Transnet National Ports Authority: South African state-owned port authority managing the ports where Trade Ocean provides ships agency services. Ecosystem participant — not a competitor but a critical operational counterparty whose performance directly affects Trade Ocean's agency volume.

Broad incumbents

• DSV South Africa: Global transport and logistics company with South African offices offering sea/air forwarding, customs clearance, and project logistics. Comparable end-to-end international forwarding capability against Trade Ocean.
• Imperial Logistics: Pan-African freight, freight forwarding, and contract logistics provider (now part of DP World) with deep South African presence across sea, air, and road forwarding plus customs. Comparable scope, regional scale, and integrated service model.
• CEVA Logistics (DP World): Global supply chain operator with South African presence offering ocean and air freight forwarding, customs, and contract logistics. Sibling to Imperial via DP World ownership; competes in same enterprise forwarding lanes.
• Bidvest Logistics: South African subsidiary of Bidvest Group offering freight forwarding, customs clearing, warehousing, and supply chain solutions across multiple modes and industries. Most directly comparable Southern African mid-large forwarder with similar integrated service portfolio.
• Maersk Logistics & Services (South Africa): Integrated ocean carrier and logistics provider offering end-to-end ocean, inland, and customs services through South African hubs. Competes with Trade Ocean for ocean freight and agency business from vessel operators.
• Kuehne+Nagel (South Africa): Global freight forwarder with significant South African operations offering sea, air, and road freight plus customs brokerage. Represents the global integrator tier competing against Trade Ocean for enterprise accounts.
• DHL Global Forwarding (South Africa): Division of Deutsche Post DHL providing international air, ocean, and road freight forwarding plus customs services in South Africa. Direct head-to-head competitor for enterprise ocean and air forwarding mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries7 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 Trade Ocean