What RYK Freight Forwarders does

RYK Freight Forwarders is a Chennai-headquartered, privately held logistics company established in 2003 as a Licensed Custom House Agent (CHA). The company provides clearing and forwarding services, customs clearance, international cargo shipping (air and ocean), custom broking, and packing and moving services for enterprise clients. RYK operates through 8 offices distributed across Southern India — Chennai (HQ), Tuticorin, Bangalore, Kakinada, Coimbatore, Pondicherry, Cuddalore, and Nagapattinam — employing 250+ people and ranking among the top 25 CHAs in Chennai. The customer base is dominated by Oil & Petroleum enterprises including public-sector undertakings (Indian Oil Corporation, HPCL) and private refiners (Kaleesuwari Refinery, Gokul Refoils & Solvents), with secondary presence in chemicals, textiles, steel, paints, and engineering.

The company's core technology is conventional enterprise IT — described as state-of-the-art computer hardware and software with periodic client status reporting — without disclosed AI, machine learning, APIs, or proprietary platforms. Service delivery is relationship-driven and conducted in association with unnamed global partners for the international leg of freight forwarding. Notable operating milestones include 8.5 lakh tonnes of liquid cargo handled at Chennai Port in 2009 and over ₹150 crore in customs duty facilitated on behalf of clients in fiscal year 2006-2007.

RYK's business model is transaction-fee based across its service lines (freight forwarding, CHA clearing, custom broking), with go-to-market executed through direct enterprise field sales and long-tenured client relationships rather than digital channels or self-service platforms. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm appears privately controlled with no disclosed institutional investors, subsidiaries, acquisitions, or M&A activity, and is led by founder-chairman CT.S. Chidambaram and general manager CT. Shanmugam.

Name

RYK Freight Forwarders

Legal name

RYK Freight Forwarders

Website

https://rykfreight.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RYK Freight Forwarders is a Chennai-headquartered licensed customs house agent providing freight forwarding, customs clearance, and international cargo shipping to enterprise clients in oil, chemical, textile, and engineering sectors across Southern India via 8 offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Customs clearance services
• Custom house brokerage
• International cargo shipping
• Logistics clearing agents

Headquarters

HQ city

Chennai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: International cargo shipping services including air cargo and ocean cargo freight forwarding with customs clearance
2. Custom House Clearing Services: Custom house clearing agent services for import/export cargo
3. Custom Broking: Custom broking services including packing and moving operations

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

RYK Freight Forwarders is a Licensed Custom House Agent providing clearing and forwarding, customs clearance, and international cargo shipping services for importers and exporters. Core offerings include air and ocean cargo freight forwarding, custom house clearing at Indian ports, custom broking, and packing and moving, with vertical and backward integration across the logistics value chain. The company serves enterprise clients with specialized handling for oil, bulk cargo, heavy machinery, engineering equipment, chemicals, and break bulk cargo through eight offices across Southern India.

Product overview

RYK Freight Forwarders is a single-service logistics company offering an integrated suite of freight forwarding and customs clearance services. The core offering centers on clearing and forwarding services, custom house clearing, and international cargo shipping (both air and ocean). The company has diversified into specialized cargo handling including oil import/export, bulk cargo, heavy machinery, chemicals, and break bulk cargo. Additional services include custom broking, packing and moving, and international freight forwarding. The company operates as a unified service provider with multiple branch offices across Southern India rather than as a platform with modular products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clearing and Forwarding Services Custom authorized shipping clearing and forwarding agent services providing customs clearance, freight forwarding, and logistics solutions for import and export cargo of enterprise clients.
• International Cargo Shipping (Air & Ocean) Comprehensive international cargo shipping services covering both air cargo and ocean cargo transportation for importers and exporters, delivered in association with global freight forwarding partners.
• Custom House Clearing Agent Services Licensed Custom House Agent services providing customs clearance for cargo passing through Indian ports, supported by strong rapport with customs and port authorities.
• Custom Broking Services Custom broking services as part of the company's vertical integration of logistics activities, supporting import and export documentation and customs duty processing.
• Packing and Moving Services Packing and moving services as part of the company's backward integration of logistics operations for client cargo preparation and relocation needs.
• Oil Import/Export Services Specialized handling of oil import and export cargo operations including liquid bulk cargo handled at Chennai Port, serving refineries, oil traders, and petroleum companies.
• Bulk Cargo Handling Handling of bulk cargo including commodities such as molasses and liquid cargo for industrial and trading clients.
• Heavy Machineries and Engineering Equipment Logistics Transportation and logistics services for heavy machinery and engineering equipment, addressing the specialized handling requirements of industrial clients.
• Chemicals Logistics Specialized logistics handling for chemical cargo, addressing safe handling, regulatory compliance, and customs documentation for chemical industry clients.
• Break Bulk Cargo Services Handling of break bulk cargo, defined as non-containerized cargo loaded individually, for clients requiring specialized loading and transport handling.
• Unaccompanied Packages Shipping Shipping services for unaccompanied packages, supporting clients that require parcel-level international freight forwarding without accompanying traveler logistics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Handled 8.5 lakh tonnes of liquid cargo in Chennai Port in 2009
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Global PartnersminorOthersRYK operates in association with global partners for international freight forwarding services, enabling comprehensive logistics solutions for clients with international shipping needs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• TVS Supply Chain Solutions: Large Indian supply chain and logistics services company with end-to-end freight forwarding, customs clearance, and warehousing capabilities. Comparable to RYK as a broader Indian logistics services provider, but with pan-India scale, technology platforms, and institutional backing.
• Kerry Logistics India: Indian arm of Asia-headquartered Kerry Logistics Network, providing international freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and contract logistics. Comparable to RYK in freight forwarding and customs services to enterprise clients, though with broader geographic and modal coverage.
• DB Schenker India: Indian operations of DB Schenker offering land, air, ocean freight forwarding and customs services. Comparable to RYK in core customs clearance and forwarding capabilities, though operating at much larger scale with global account relationships.
• DHL Global Forwarding India: Indian arm of DHL's global freight forwarding business, offering air, ocean, and customs brokerage services to enterprise clients across India. Comparable to RYK in core freight forwarding and customs clearance offerings, but with global network, scale, and digital platform capabilities.
• Container Corporation of India (CONCOR): Government of India PSU and one of the largest container freight and multimodal logistics operators in India, with inland container depots and port connectivity. Comparable to RYK as an Indian logistics/port-adjacent services provider, though vastly larger and infrastructure-asset-heavy.
• Expeditors India: Indian arm of global logistics company Expeditors International, providing air and ocean freight forwarding plus customs brokerage. Comparable to RYK in freight forwarding and customs services, but with a technology-led global platform and a focus on larger enterprise accounts.
• Kuehne+Nagel India: Indian operations of the global freight forwarder offering airfreight, seafreight, customs clearance, and contract logistics. Comparable to RYK in customs brokerage and multimodal freight forwarding, but with global account management and standardized digital platforms.

Direct peers

• Sical Logistics: Indian integrated logistics company offering port handling, freight forwarding, customs clearance, and multimodal transport. Comparable to RYK as a mid-sized Indian freight forwarder with port-centric operations and customs brokerage, particularly across Southern Indian ports.
• Aegis Logistics: Indian logistics company specializing in bulk liquid handling, oil and gas storage, and terminal operations at Indian ports. Comparable to RYK in its focus on bulk liquid cargo, oil/petroleum vertical, and port-based operations in India.
• Allcargo Logistics: One of India's largest integrated logistics and freight forwarding companies with multimodal capabilities including ocean, air, and customs brokerage. Comparable to RYK as an Indian freight forwarder/CHA serving enterprise clients, though at materially larger national and international scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 RYK Freight Forwarders