What Seatrans does

Seatrans is a privately-held French freight forwarding company founded in 1989 and headquartered in Marseille, with a regional office in Algiers. The company operates as a commissionnaire en transport and commissionnaire en douane, providing international freight forwarding, customs brokerage, customs declarations, cross-trade services, container consolidation (groupage), roll-on/roll-off shipping, project cargo management, vessel chartering, hazardous materials handling, and temperature-controlled transport. It also offers dry and refrigerated warehousing plus stuffing/destuffing services.

The underlying technology is predominantly operational rather than differentiated: a web-based online tracing system provides real-time shipment monitoring, supported by computerized order management and customs documentation systems. There is no disclosed AI/ML capability, no mobile app, and no public API; the technology stack is consistent with a mid-sized traditional freight forwarder rather than a digital-native platform.

Seatrans earns revenue on a transaction-fee basis across its service lines—freight forwarding commissions, customs brokerage fees, cross-trade fees, and warehouse/handling charges. Pricing is quote-based and customized per shipment by origin, destination, cargo type, volume, and service requirements, with no standard public tiers. Go-to-market is direct B2B sales targeting an "exacting clientele" of industrial companies and traders (industriels et négociants) engaged in international import/export, with dedicated account managers by trade route and client development supported by memberships in STM, UMF, and TLF. The company's competitive position is anchored in 35+ years of operating history, 20+ years of Algerian market presence, privileged agreements with multiple shipping lines, and a worldwide agent network.

Name

Seatrans

Legal name

SARL SEATRANS

Website

https://seatrans.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Seatrans is a privately-held French freight forwarder founded in 1989, headquartered in Marseille with a regional office in Algiers, serving industrial companies and traders with international shipping, customs brokerage, cross-trade, and warehousing services across Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Commission-based compensation for arranging international transport logistics including maritime, air, and multimodal shipping. Services include containerization, consolidation, and project cargo handling.
2. Customs Brokerage: Customs clearance services as licensed customs agents and declarants, handling both French and foreign customs administrations.
3. Cross Trade Services: Specialized international transit services including cross-trade operations, consolidation, and groupage services for containers.
4. Logistics and Warehouse Services: Dry and refrigerated warehouse storage, secure facilities, customs-bonded warehouses, handling and stuffing/destuffing services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Seatrans is a freight forwarding company providing international transit (Transit et Commissionnaire en Transport), customs brokerage and declarations (Commissionnaire en Douane, Déclarant en Douane), Cross Trade services (third-country shipments), container consolidation (Groupage de Containers), dry and refrigerated warehousing, handling/stuffing/destuffing, roll-on/roll-off transport, project cargo management, ship chartering, hazardous materials handling, and temperature-controlled transport. Services are delivered through a worldwide agent network coordinated from Marseille and Algiers, supported by an informatized order management and online real-time tracing system.

Product overview

SEATRANS is a freight forwarding company operating as a unified platform offering international transit services, customs brokerage, and logistics management. The core product portfolio centers on three interconnected services: Transit/Commissionnaire en Transport (freight forwarding), Commissionnaire en Douane (customs brokerage), and Déclarant en Douane (customs declarations). These are supported by specialized services including Cross Trade (third-country trading), Groupage de Containers (container consolidation), Gestion de Commandes with computerized tracking, and Logistique Internationale encompassing warehousing and handling. Additional offerings include Transport RO/RO, Management de Projets for heavy cargo, Affrètement de Navires, hazardous materials handling, and temperature-controlled transport. The company maintains offices in Marseille and Algiers with a global network of agents covering Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transit et Commissionnaire en Transport (Freight Forwarding) International freight forwarding services managing transport operations across maritime, air, and land routes, leveraging a global agent network to arrange containerized, consolidated, and project cargo movements for industrial and trading clients.
• Commissionnaire en Douane (Customs Brokerage) Customs brokerage services handling import and export customs procedures and regulatory compliance for international trade operations on behalf of industrial and trading clients.
• Déclarant en Douane (Customs Declaration) Customs declaration services preparing and submitting documentation required for customs clearance across different jurisdictions, including both French and foreign customs administrations.
• Cross Trade Services Specialised international trade service enabling shipments between third countries without touching the origin country, supported by privileged agreements with shipping lines and real-time shipment tracking.
• Groupage de Containers (Container Consolidation) Container consolidation service combining multi-client shipments into personalised containers, offering import/export consolidations, regular departures, and access to secure bonded warehouses.
• Logistique Internationale et Entreposage (International Logistics and Warehousing) Comprehensive international logistics including dry and refrigerated warehousing, secure facilities, customs-bonded warehouses, handling, stuffing/destuffing services, and consolidated shipping solutions for industrial clients.
• Transport RO/RO Roll-on/Roll-off shipping service for vehicles and rolling stock that can be driven on and off vessels, offered as part of Seatrans' specialised cargo capabilities.
• Management de Projets (Project Cargo Management) Project cargo management service for oversized cargo and heavy-lift shipments that require specialised handling, multimodal planning, and coordinated logistics execution.
• Affrètement de Navires (Ship Chartering) Charter services arranging partial or complete ship chartering to accommodate large-scale or specialised cargo requirements on behalf of clients.
• Marchandises Dangereuses (Hazardous Materials Transport) Hazardous materials handling and transport services ensuring compliance with international dangerous goods regulations across all transport modes handled by Seatrans.
• Transport à Température Dirigée (Temperature-Controlled Transport) Temperature-controlled transport services using reefer containers for perishable goods and food products requiring specific temperature conditions throughout the shipment.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Various Shipping LinescoreOthersPrivileged agreements with numerous shipping companies providing preferential freight rates and guaranteed vessel space allocation for shipments.
• Global Agent NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorldwide network of agents located across all major ports providing local presence and support for freight operations globally.
• Algerian Port PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartners established in all Algerian ports supporting operations in Algeria including direct shipments and cross-trade services to/from Algeria.
• Asian Port PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReliable partners in all Asian ports supporting maritime, air, and sea-air combined transport operations with coverage across Jakarta, Pasir Gudang, Penang, Port Klang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tanjung Pelepas.
• STM - Syndicat des transitaires de Marseille-FosminorOthersIndustry association membership for Marseille freight forwarders.
• UMF - Union Maritime et FluvialeminorOthersMaritime and fluvial union membership.
• TLF - Fédération des Entreprises de Transport et Logistique de FranceminorOthersFrench transport and logistics federation membership representing transport and logistics companies in France.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with comprehensive sea, air, and road freight services plus customs brokerage. Significantly broader scale and geographic reach than Seatrans, but overlapping service offering and customer base.
• DSV: Global freight forwarder (now including DB Schenker) with full-service logistics capabilities. Operates at vastly greater scale than Seatrans but directly competes on freight forwarding, customs, and cross-border trade services.
• Expeditors International: Global freight forwarder with air, ocean, and customs brokerage services. Directly comparable service offering to Seatrans but with global scale, broader geographic coverage, and larger technology infrastructure.
• CEVA Logistics: Global supply chain management company with freight forwarding, contract logistics, and customs services. Broader scale and service breadth, but directly comparable in core freight forwarding offering to industrial/trading clients.
• DACHSER: European-headquartered logistics provider with road, air, and sea freight plus warehousing services. Comparable European-focused offering to Seatrans, with significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• DB Schenker: German-headquartered global logistics provider with land, air, sea freight and customs services. Much broader scale but overlapping service offering to Seatrans's freight forwarding, customs, and warehousing portfolio.
• XPO Logistics: Global logistics provider with freight forwarding, contract logistics, and brokerage services. Much broader scale but competes in adjacent freight forwarding and supply chain services overlapping with Seatrans's portfolio.

Direct peers

• Geodis: French-headquartered freight forwarder and logistics provider offering similar international transport, customs, and warehousing services. Directly comparable in business model, customer base (industrial/trading clients), and service portfolio to Seatrans.
• Bolloré Logistics: French-headquartered freight forwarder with global network offering transport, customs, and supply chain services. Comparable French-origin freight forwarder with similar customer segments (industrial and trading clients) and service breadth as Seatrans.
• CMA CGM Logistics: Marseille-headquartered global shipping and logistics company (parent CMA CGM is the world's third-largest container carrier). Directly comparable as a Marseille-based freight forwarder offering container transport, customs, and logistics services overlapping with Seatrans's portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seatrans-management-lp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Seatrans