What ELC does

ELC Transport Services SAL is a privately held, family-owned freight forwarding and logistics company headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, operating continuously since 1931 under the legal entity ELC Transport Services SAL. The company provides end-to-end logistics services spanning sea freight (6,500 TEU handled per year from the Port of Beirut), air freight (operated at Beirut International Airport), and land freight across Lebanese territory, alongside in-house customs brokerage at both port and airport locations. Annual throughput is reported at 5,000 files, 41,000 automobiles, and 900 pharmaceutical files, with a headcount of 35+ trained staff.

The company's differentiated offerings sit in two verticals: pharmaceutical cold-chain logistics, delivered through a fully owned temperature-controlled fleet validated for -20°C to +25°C with double-calibrated monitoring and 10-year temperature logging, and compliant with WHO GDP and Lebanese Ministry of Health GSDP standards; and automotive logistics, where ELC claims to handle more than 50% of new vehicles imported into Lebanon via RORO, container, stuffing, and safe-lashing services. The company also operates lifting and inland transportation equipment (cranes, forklifts, six-wheelers, heavy weight loaders) for material hiring.

ELC monetizes primarily through transaction-fee freight forwarding (sea, air, land), professional-service customs brokerage, and equipment rental. Customer acquisition is enterprise field-sales driven, with quote-based pricing and no public rates; multi-year contracts are referenced. Geographic reach spans 50+ countries, delivered through owned Beirut operations and partner networks (WCA World, WCA Pharma, Logic International) rather than owned overseas offices. Certifications include ISO 9001:2008, GDP, GSDP, and memberships in IATA and FIATA. The company is 100% family-owned with no disclosed external investors, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity in the data set.

Name

ELC

Legal name

ELC Transport Services SAL

Website

https://elctransport.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Family-owned Lebanese freight forwarder founded in 1931 offering sea, air, and land freight forwarding plus customs brokerage from Beirut, with specialized GDP-compliant pharmaceutical cold-chain logistics and a dominant share of Lebanese automotive imports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Core logistics services including sea freight, air freight, and land freight forwarding. Handles full containers, consolidation shipments, bulk shipments, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and humanitarian aid.
2. Customs Clearance: In-house customs brokerage services with professional team familiar with Lebanese customs procedures.
3. Transportation and Material Hiring: Lifting and inland transportation material including cranes, forklifts, six-wheelers, heavy weight loaders. Hiring of material equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ELC is a full-service Lebanese logistics company providing sea, air, and land freight forwarding, in-house customs clearance, and transportation and material hiring services. It operates specialized verticals in GDP-compliant pharmaceutical cold chain logistics (handling 500 tons of pharma yearly with validated temperature-controlled trucks) and automotive logistics (handling more than 50% of new vehicles in the Lebanese market), serving enterprise customers across 50+ countries from its Beirut headquarters.

Product overview

ELC Transport Services SAL is a full-service logistics company offering freight forwarding, customs clearance, and material handling services. The core offering consists of three primary transport modes (Sea Freight, Air Freight, and Land Freight) supported by specialized Pharma Logistics and Automotive Logistics services. All transport services include sub-services for import/export operations, packing, customs clearance, and local transportation. The company operates from Beirut, Lebanon, with presence at the port of Beirut and Beirut International Airport, serving customers across 55+ countries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sea Freight Maritime freight forwarding service covering full containers, consolidation shipments, bulk shipments, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and humanitarian aid. Operations are based at the port of Beirut with worldwide network coverage.
• Air Freight Air freight forwarding service at Beirut International Airport handling all types of airfreight including cold chain shipments, operating 24 hours daily with temperature-controlled trucks. Includes import, export, packing, customs clearance, and transportation subservices.
• Land Freight Road transport services for short and medium distances, covering both domestic and international shipments with complete or partial shipment options, including organization of all required road permissions.
• Customs Clearance In-house customs brokerage service with a professional team familiar with Lebanese customs procedures, available at both Beirut International Airport and port of Beirut locations, covering all customs points in Lebanese territory.
• Pharma Logistics Temperature-controlled pharmaceutical transport service with WHO GDP compliance and Lebanese Ministry of Health GSDP adherence. Features fully owned validated trucks, double-calibrated monitoring systems, 10-year logging history capabilities, and handling of cytotoxic drugs and regulated narcotics at -20 to +25°C.
• Automotive Logistics Transport of automobiles and vehicles with over 80 years of experience. Services include import, export, container, and RORO shipping, with stuffing and safe lashing capabilities, handling more than 50% of new vehicles in the Lebanese market.
• Transportation and Material Hiring Local transportation services covering Lebanese territory with lifting and inland transportation equipment including cranes, forklifts, six-wheelers, and heavy weight loaders. Includes hiring of material equipment.

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WCA WorldcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorld Cargo Alliance network member providing global freight forwarding connections and access to worldwide logistics network.
• WCA PharmacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Cargo Alliance pharmaceutical division providing specialized pharmaceutical logistics network and compliance standards for temperature-sensitive cargo.
• Logic International NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational logistics network partner (linkglobal.com) providing additional global coverage and connections.
• IATAcoreOthersInternational Air Transport Association membership for air freight forwarding services and industry compliance.
• FIATAcoreOthersInternational Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations membership for industry recognition and standards.
• Lebanese Syndicate of freight forwardersminorOthersLocal industry association membership for freight forwarding industry in Lebanon.
• TT ClubminorOthersTransport insurance mutual providing freight transport insurance services and risk management.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: Global freight forwarding and contract logistics leader with strong pharma (KN PharmaChain) and automotive verticals. Overlaps with ELC's sea/air freight and pharma cold chain capabilities but operates at much larger scale with global owned infrastructure.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: German-headquartered global freight forwarder with air, sea, road, and contract logistics plus specialized automotive and pharma solutions. Comparable mid-to-large global forwarder with similar full-service multimodal model.
• CEVA Logistics: Global logistics provider offering freight forwarding, contract logistics, and supply chain solutions across automotive, healthcare, and consumer sectors. Comparable multimodal offering with overlapping automotive and pharma verticals.
• DB Schenker: Major global logistics provider offering land, air, and ocean freight forwarding with contract logistics and specialized industry solutions. Comparable multimodal freight forwarding model to ELC at vastly larger scale.
• Expeditors International: Global air and ocean freight forwarder with customs brokerage and value-added services. Comparable core freight forwarding model with sea/air focus, though lacking the land freight and specialized pharma fleet that ELC emphasizes.
• DHL Global Forwarding: World's largest freight forwarder with air, ocean, and road freight services plus specialized life sciences and automotive logistics. Comparable to ELC's core offerings but at vastly greater scale; represents the dominant incumbent ELC competes against through partner relationships.

Direct peers

• Agility Logistics: Kuwait-headquartered global logistics provider with freight forwarding, contract logistics, and customs brokerage. Directly comparable to ELC as a regional-origin freight forwarder that scaled globally through partner networks and acquired specialized capabilities in pharma and automotive logistics.
• GAC Group: Global freight forwarding and logistics company with strong Middle East presence offering sea, air, and land freight plus specialized pharma and project cargo services. Comparable in mid-sized global forwarder model with regional hubs and partner network coverage.
• Aramex: Middle East-headquartered freight forwarder and logistics provider offering freight forwarding, customs clearance, and supply chain solutions across the region. Directly comparable to ELC as a comparable-scale regional forwarder with pharma and automotive capabilities and a partner-driven global reach.

Others

• WCA World (World Cargo Alliance): Global network of independent freight forwarders that includes ELC as a member. Not a direct competitor but the network through which ELC reaches global customers; comparable to other network participants like Globalia and IGLN.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elc-transport-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 ELC