Geest Line
Geest Line Limited is a UK-headquartered maritime shipping company operating the only direct weekly container, reefer, and break bulk service between the UK/Netherlands and 11 Eastern Caribbean destinations, specializing in refrigerated banana and produce transport.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1935
- HeadquartersFareham, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Geest Line does
Geest Line Limited is a UK-headquartered maritime shipping company providing direct cargo transportation services between the United Kingdom (Portsmouth), the Netherlands (Vlissingen/Flushing), and 11 Caribbean destinations including Antigua, Barbados, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, St Kitts, St Lucia, and St Vincent. Founded in 1935 as a horticultural business and operating shipping routes to the Caribbean since the 1950s, Geest Line is the only shipping line offering direct UK-to-Eastern Caribbean service without transhipments, providing weekly sailings with transit times of 9 days to Barbados and 12 days to Antigua/St Kitts.
The company's service portfolio spans containerized shipping (20ft and 40ft dry van, open top, flat rack, reefer, and specialized rum tank containers), refrigerated carriage including Controlled Atmosphere conditions for bananas, break bulk for out-of-gauge cargo, exclusive LCL (less-than-container-load) chilled/frozen groupage, consolidation services, and inter-island Caribbean shipping. Operations are supported by a network of local shipping agents in each Caribbean destination and terminal partnerships with Portico Shipping in Portsmouth and ZZC Terminal (Zoomweg Zeeland Coldstore BV) in Vlissingen, the latter providing 25,000 sqm of cold storage capacity with temperature control from -18°C to +20°C.
Geest Line operates a quote-based, transaction-fee revenue model, charging per shipment based on cargo type, volume, and route, with additional BAF (Bunker Adjustment Factor), ETS (Emissions Trading System), and fuel surcharges applied to cover regulatory and fuel cost volatility. Primary customer segments are banana and fresh produce exporters (notably a 25-year relationship with Dominican Republic banana growers shipping weekly) and general freight importers/exporters. The company is privately held following its April 2021 acquisition by a joint venture between Seatrade Group and Jamaica Producers Group, and operates with a 51-100 employee headcount across its Fareham headquarters and Rhoon Benelux sales office.
Geest Line firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Geest Line
- Legal name
- Geest Line Limited
- Website
- https://geestline.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1935
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Geest Line Limited is a UK-headquartered maritime shipping company operating the only direct weekly container, reefer, and break bulk service between the UK/Netherlands and 11 Eastern Caribbean destinations, specializing in refrigerated banana and produce transport.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Geest Line industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Maritime Container Shipping
- NAICS
- Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111), Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (4831)
- SIC
- Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reefer/Temperature-Controlled Ocean Forwarding (TLACABAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH), Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE)
Keywords
Where Geest Line is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fareham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Geest Line business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Freight Shipping Services: Core revenue from shipping various cargo types including containers (dry van, open top, flat rack, reefer), break bulk, and LCL shipments between Europe (UK/Netherlands) and Caribbean destinations. Pricing based on cargo type, volume, and route.
- Fuel Surcharges: UK Fuel surcharge applied to shipments, varying by effective period (currently 12% as of June 2026). Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) also applied based on voyage.
- Environmental Surcharges (ETS): Emissions Trading System surcharge applied to cover carbon emission costs, currently $6.75 per unit for recent voyages.
- Specialized Equipment Services: Additional charges for specialized services including refrigerated carriage, out-of-gauge cargo, vehicle exports, and consolidation services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Quote-based freight pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Geest Line product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Geest Line operates scheduled container shipping services between the United Kingdom / Northern Europe and the Caribbean, with direct sailings to 11 island destinations. The company carries containerised cargo, break bulk freight, refrigerated (reefer) cargo including controlled-atmosphere produce, LCL reefer consolidations, and provides inter-island services across the Caribbean basin.
Product overview
Geest Line operates as a maritime shipping company offering a portfolio of cargo transportation services between the UK, Europe, and the Caribbean. The core service platform comprises Shipping Containers (including multiple container types such as dry van, open top, flat rack, reefer, and rum tank variants in both 20ft and 40ft sizes), Refrigerated Carriage, and Break Bulk services. Add-on services include LCL Reefer (less-than-container-load chilled/frozen groupage), Consolidation (sorting and storage for multi-supplier/multi-consignee operations), and Inter Island Services (regional Caribbean shipping). The company specializes particularly in fresh produce transport, especially bananas, with refrigerated and controlled atmosphere capabilities, serving 12 Caribbean and European destinations including Antigua, Barbados, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Vincent, Netherlands (Flushing), and UK (Portsmouth).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Break Bulk Shipping Carriage of non-containerised, oversized or project cargo that does not fit standard container dimensions, serving shippers of heavy machinery, vehicles, and oversized freight moving between the UK/Europe and the Caribbean.
Quantifiable outcome
- Transit time: 9 days UK to Barbados
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Geest Line
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Geest Line technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Geest Line partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Francis Trading Agency LtdcoreLocal shipping agent for Antigua (St John's). Handles cargo operations, customs clearance, and local customer support for Geest Line shipments to Antigua.
- Caribbean International Freight & Logistics LtdcoreLocal shipping agent for Barbados (Bridgetown). Handles cargo operations and local customer support for Geest Line shipments to Barbados.
- H.H.V. Whitchurch & Co LtdcoreLocal shipping agent for Dominica (Roseau). Handles cargo operations and local customer support for Geest Line shipments to Dominica.
- Maritima Dominicana SAcoreLocal shipping agent for Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo). Handles cargo operations and local customer support for Geest Line shipments to Manzanillo, Dominican Republic.
- Jonas Browne & Hubbard (Grenada) LtdcoreLocal shipping agent for Grenada (St George's). Handles cargo operations and local customer support for Geest Line shipments to Grenada.
- S.L. Horsford & Co LtdcoreLocal shipping agent for St Kitts (Basseterre). Handles cargo operations and local customer support for Geest Line shipments to St Kitts.
- M & C Shipping LtdcoreLocal shipping agent for St Lucia (Castries). Handles cargo operations and local customer support for Geest Line shipments to St Lucia.
- Corea & Co (1988) LtdcoreLocal shipping agent for St Vincent (Kingstown). Handles cargo operations and local customer support for Geest Line shipments to St Vincent.
- Ship & Port Agency Curaçao N.V.coreLocal shipping agent for Curaçao (Willemstad). Handles cargo operations and local customer support for Geest Line shipments to Curaçao.
- Gulf and MaritimecoreLocal shipping agent for Guyana (Georgetown). Handles cargo operations and local customer support for Geest Line shipments to Guyana.
- Portico ShippingcoreTerminal operator for Geest Line's Portsmouth port operations. Manages the Albert Johnson Quay facility including warehouse, container handling, and quayside operations.
- ZZC Terminal (Zoomweg Zeeland Coldstore BV)coreTerminal operator for Geest Line's Netherlands operations at Vlissingen (Flushing). Modern cold storage facilities with 25,000 sqm capacity and heavy lift capabilities up to 100 MT.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Geest Line competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Geest Line social profiles
Digital presenceGeest Line compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Geest Line financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Geest Line leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Geest Line funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Geest Line M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Geest Line
What does Geest Line do?
Geest Line operates scheduled container shipping services between the United Kingdom / Northern Europe and the Caribbean, with direct sailings to 11 island destinations. The company carries containerised cargo, break bulk freight, refrigerated (reefer) cargo including controlled-atmosphere produce, LCL reefer consolidations, and provides inter-island services across the Caribbean basin.
Is Geest Line a public or private company?
Geest Line is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Geest Line founded?
Geest Line was founded in 1935. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Geest Line based?
Geest Line is headquartered in Fareham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Geest Line make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Freight Shipping Services are the primary driver. The others are fuel Surcharges, environmental Surcharges (ETS) and specialized Equipment Services.
Does Geest Line have an API?
No public API is recorded for Geest Line.
What industry is Geest Line in?
Geest Line's product category is Maritime Container Shipping. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLACABAI, Reefer/Temperature-Controlled Ocean Forwarding, with a secondary code of TLACABAH, Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo). Its NAICS code is 483111 and its SIC code is 4412.