Pacific Terminals

What Pacific Terminals does

Pacific Terminals is a privately held, Seattle-based port logistics operator founded in 1982 and headquartered at Terminal 7A on the Duwamish Waterway at the Port of Seattle. The company operates as a U.S. Customs bonded Container Freight Station (CFS) and provides an integrated, multi-modal logistics platform that combines marine barging (anchored by the Barge Whidbey, Washington State's only covered break-bulk barge service), bonded warehouse storage and transloading (157,000 sq ft, 24-foot clear height), Class I rail-served intermodal access via BNSF and Union Pacific, and over-the-road trucking with nine truck doors fed into I-5 and I-90 corridors. Additional service lines include Custom Freight Services for international cargo devanning, Customized Project Services for Asian-Pacific import/export coordination, computerized inventory reporting with remote barcode scanning and EDI integration, and a refrigerated LTL division for frozen seafood West Coast transport, supported by 25+ years of combined dispatch experience. Customer segments span import/export companies, frozen and refrigerated product shippers, steamship lines and freight forwarders, and heavy-equipment and project cargo clients; the 2024 acquisition of Specialized Transloading Solutions (now Sea Pac Transload) added oversized and non-standard cargo capabilities.

The company employs 20+ qualified workers averaging over a decade of tenure and generates revenue through custom quote-based pricing on transaction-fee and subscription/recurring streams. A non-union labor model and an owner-operator tug arrangement underpin cost competitiveness, while partnerships with Island Tug and Barge, Western Towboat, and Salmon Bay Tug and Barge provide marine capacity. Distribution is regional across the Pacific Northwest and West Coast, with broader reach into Asian-Pacific trade lanes via project services. The technology layer is industry-standard operational rather than differentiated: computerized inventory systems, wireless warehouse management with handheld customer access and video monitoring, and EDI capability integrated with third-party inventory platforms (SAP, Edistock, Majiq, Measurex, LoadExpert, Candesce). Differentiators center on the unique barge asset, the bonded CFS regulatory posture at Port of Seattle, the strategic waterfront position between Terminal 5 and Terminal 18, and the 65%-lower carbon footprint claim for the Seattle-to-Port Townsend barge route versus trucking.

Name

Pacific Terminals

Legal name

Pacific Terminals

Website

https://pacificterminals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pacific Terminals is a privately held, Seattle-based port logistics operator founded in 1982, providing multi-modal freight services — including bonded CFS, break-bulk barge, transloading, and refrigerated LTL — to import/export companies, shippers, steamship lines, and project cargo clients across the Pacific Northwest and West Coast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Port Logistics & Freight Services

NAICS

Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Port and Harbor Operations (488310), Inland Water Transportation (48321), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

Warehousing, CFS & Bonded Storage for General Cargo (Within Terminal) (TLAHADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine Terminals & Cargo Handling Infrastructure (RoRo, Bulk, Container) (IMAFAJAF), Bulk Transloading & Intermodal Bulk Transfer Facilities (Rail/Truck/Conveyor/Barge) (TLAHABAN)

Keywords

• Port logistics services
• Bonded container freight station
• Marine barging transport
• Warehouse transloading services
• Refrigerated LTL freight

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marine Barging Services: Break-bulk barge transportation between regional markets and Seattle terminal. Core division providing cargo movement from barge to rail, truck, or container. Uses owner-operator tug model for cost efficiency.
2. Bonded CFS Services: Container Freight Station services enabling international shipments to move efficiently from steamship yards. Includes devanning and freight preparation.
3. Warehouse Storage & Transloading: Secure bonded storage with 157,000 sq. ft. warehouse and efficient cargo handling. Multi-modal transloading using container, truck, rail, and barge.
4. LTL Refrigerated Logistics: Less-than-truckload frozen and refrigerated product transportation with West Coast coverage and experienced dispatch coordination.
5. Custom Freight & Project Services: Customized project services for freight accumulation, organization, and coordinated import/export shipment support for Asian-Pacific destinations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Pacific Terminals operates a bonded Container Freight Station (CFS) and multi-modal logistics hub at the Port of Seattle, providing marine barging (Barge Whidbey), bonded warehouse storage and transloading, devanning services, multi-modal transportation access (rail, barge, truck), and specialized refrigerated LTL freight across the West Coast. The company moves international and domestic cargo through Seattle's waterfront terminal for importers, exporters, steamship lines, and freight forwarders.

Product overview

Pacific Terminals operates as a bonded Container Freight Station (CFS) at the Port of Seattle offering an integrated suite of logistics services. The company provides a unified platform combining marine barging (its largest division via Barge Whidbey), warehouse storage and transloading, multi-modal transportation access (rail, barge, truck), custom freight services, customized project services, inventory reporting, and LTL refrigerated logistics. The portfolio is anchored by its marine barging operations (Washington State's only covered break-bulk barge service) which seamlessly connects with storage/transloading, CFS services, and multi-modal transportation access. The 2005-launched LTL Refrigerated Logistics division extends capabilities into cold chain less-than-truckload freight, while recent acquisition of Specialized Transloading Solutions adds oversized cargo handling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% reduction in fuel consumption compared to trucking for Seattle to Port Townsend route
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Island Tug and BargecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted local industry partner providing integrated logistics solutions with flexible routing, equipment, and service options. Works with Pacific Terminals for marine transport operations.
• Western TowboatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted local industry partner providing towboat services supporting marine logistics operations at the Seattle terminal.
• Sea Pac TransloadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransloading partner acquired as Specialized Transloading Solutions, expanding capabilities to handle oversized, irregular, and non-standard cargo. Supports complex freight loading, offloading, and transfer.
• Salmon Bay Tug and BargecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted local industry partner providing marine transport services for integrated logistics solutions with flexible routing and equipment options.
• BNSF RailwaycoreTechnology or IntegrationClass I railroad servicing Pacific Terminals facility. Listed on BNSF Network Extension Services as a registered warehouse, providing reciprocal intermodal capabilities.
• Union Pacific RailroadcoreTechnology or IntegrationClass I railroad servicing Pacific Terminals facility with reciprocal intermodal capabilities for seamless cargo movement.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Westwood Shipping Lines: Pacific Northwest-based common carrier connecting U.S. West Coast ports to Asia with terminal operations in the region. Comparable regional marine shipping and cargo handling presence serving Pacific Northwest import/export flows.
• TOTE Maritime: U.S.-flag ocean carrier specializing in Pacific Northwest-to-Alaska and Puerto Rico trade lanes with terminal and stevedoring operations. Comparable marine logistics presence with regional Pacific Northwest focus, though concentrated on liner shipping rather than barge and breakbulk.

Broad incumbents

• Ports America: Largest U.S. marine terminal operator with operations across more than 40 ports. Comparable broad capability set in marine cargo handling, terminal operations, and intermodal logistics, although much larger and focused on the largest container and bulk hubs rather than niche breakbulk.
• APM Terminals: Global container terminal operator and Maersk subsidiary with North American operations. Comparable marine cargo handling and intermodal terminal services, but operates at significantly larger scale and primarily container-focused versus Pacific Terminals' breakbulk and CFS niche.
• SSA Marine: One of the largest independent marine terminal operators globally (part of Carrix), with significant presence at the Port of Seattle. Comparable in core business of marine cargo handling and terminal operations, though vastly larger and operating a diversified terminal portfolio nationwide.

Direct peers

• Foss Maritime: Puget Sound-based tug, barge, and terminal operator providing integrated marine logistics on the Pacific Northwest waterfront. Directly comparable given overlapping tug-and-barge operations, terminal services, and regional focus on inland/coastal marine cargo movement.
• Washington United Terminals: Break-bulk and auto terminal operator at the Port of Tacoma, Washington. Highly comparable as a regional break-bulk marine terminal operator with similar Class I rail-served facilities serving Pacific Northwest import/export cargo.
• Tidewater Transportation and Terminals: Pacific Northwest tug and barge operator with terminal/transloading operations on the Columbia-Snake river system. Comparable on tug-and-barge cargo movement plus bulk and break-bulk terminal services, though operating more on inland river corridors than Puget Sound.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Pacific Terminals