What ChemOil Logistics does

ChemOil Logistics AG is a Swiss rail logistics company founded in 1999 and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. It operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SBB Cargo, the freight division of Swiss Federal Railways, and positions itself as the largest Swiss rail logistics provider for hazardous goods. The company serves enterprise customers in the chemical and mineral oil industries, providing specialized transport of dangerous goods across a European corridor spanning Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.

The company's product portfolio comprises four interconnected service lines: BlockTrains (full-train solutions for large point-to-point hazardous cargo shipments with end-to-end international coordination across multiple railways), ChemLink (a scheduled international rail service connecting European chemical centers via plannable, regular trains), Fleet (railcar rental, wagon type consulting, damaged wagon management, fleet optimization, and revision management covering 500+ wagons and over 1,000 pressure gas tank cars), and BulkLogistics (European bulk trainload management with or without wagon provision, traction services, and spot train solutions). The company maintains a network of 11 European railcar suppliers and operates a dedicated client monitoring portal.

ChemOil generates revenue through a combination of transaction-based rail transport fees (per shipment, wagon, or train) and managed-service fees for fleet rental, administration, and maintenance. Its go-to-market is sales-led and direct-to-enterprise, with named key account managers covering Germany and Switzerland, and a legal representative for its Italian branch. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and SQAS Attestation 2024 from CEFIC, and operates in a niche where regulatory compliance (RID) and capital-intensive specialized rolling stock create meaningful barriers to entry.

Name

ChemOil Logistics

Legal name

ChemOil Logistics AG

Website

https://chemoil.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ChemOil Logistics AG is the largest Swiss rail logistics provider for hazardous goods, serving the chemical and mineral oil industries across Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy as an SBB Cargo subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail Logistics Services for Dangerous Goods

NAICS

Line-Haul Railroads (482111)

SIC

Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011)

akta.pro primary industry

Chemical & Petrochemical Logistics (Bulk, ISO Tanks, Drums/IBCs) (TLAIAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Liquid Hazmat / Chemical Tank Transport (DOT/ADR tankers) (TLADAIAB)

Keywords

• Rail freight logistics
• Dangerous goods transport
• Hazardous materials rail
• Chemical logistics services
• Mineral oil rail transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Rail Transport Services: Transportation services for chemical and mineral oil dangerous goods via rail, including BlockTrain solutions (full train loads) and ChemLink scheduled services (single wagons and wagon groups)
2. Railcar Fleet Management: Railcar rental (own fleet or under customer responsibility), fleet administration, damaged wagon management, and revision management services
3. Bulk Logistics Services: Bulk train loading management including wagon rental (long-term), equipment provision, traction services across Europe, and spot train services (wagons and traction)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ChemOil Logistics provides specialized rail transport services for dangerous goods (chemicals and mineral oils) across European railway networks. The company offers four interconnected service lines: BlockTrains (full train solutions for large point-to-point shipments), ChemLink (scheduled international wagon-load trains connecting Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy), Fleet (railcar rental, damaged wagon management, and revision management), and BulkLogistics (bulk train load management with traction services across Europe).

Product overview

ChemOil Logistics is Switzerland's largest rail logistics provider for hazardous goods, offering a portfolio of four interconnected services. The core offerings include BlockTrains (full train solutions for large point-to-point shipments) and ChemLink (scheduled international wagon-load trains connecting European chemical centers). These are supplemented by Fleet services (railcar rental, maintenance, and management) and BulkLogistics (bulk train load management). The company operates as a subsidiary of SBB Cargo, providing comprehensive rail logistics solutions for the chemical and mineral oil industries across Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BlockTrains: Full train logistics solutions for large point-to-point shipments across Europe with international coordination and train management.
• ChemLink
• Fleet
• BulkLogistics

Products and services

• BlockTrains Full train logistics solution for efficient point-to-point transportation of large cargo quantities across Europe, specializing in international coordination and end-to-end train management across multiple railways. Designed for chemical and mineral oil customers requiring large-volume hazardous goods transport.
• ChemLink Own international scheduled train service (Linienzug) for wagon-load shipments connecting selected European chemical centers from Belgium through Germany and Switzerland to Italy with regular, plannable trains for single wagons and wagon groups.
• Fleet Comprehensive railcar support and management services including railcar rental (own fleet or under customer responsibility), wagon type consultation, damaged wagon management, fleet optimization, revision management, and administrative and technical support. Manages 500+ wagons under ChemOil's fleet and 1000+ customer pressure gas tank cars.
• BulkLogistics Management of European-wide bulk train loads with or without wagons, offering long-term wagon rental and subletting, equipment provision, Europe-wide traction services, and spot train services (wagons and traction) for bulk cargo customers.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SBB CargocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChemOil AG is a subsidiary company of SBB Cargo (Swiss Federal Railways Cargo). This parent company relationship provides ChemOil with access to Swiss rail infrastructure and operations, supporting its position as the largest Swiss rail logistics provider for dangerous goods.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Kombiverkehr: German intermodal rail-road operator serving chemical and industrial shippers in the DACH region. Comparable to ChemOil in European rail logistics for industrial customers, with a stronger intermodal rather than pure-hazmat focus.

Direct peers

• GATX Corporation: Global railcar leasing and management company with a large specialty fleet serving chemicals and petroleum customers. Comparable to ChemOil's fleet management service offering and chemical/petroleum railcar focus, though operating at much larger scale globally.
• Bertschi Group: Swiss-headquartered global logistics specialist for the chemical industry, offering rail, road, and intermodal transport of hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals. Highly comparable to ChemOil in customer vertical, geographic focus on European chemical corridors, and hazmat specialization.
• VTG AG: European rail freight and tank car leasing leader, managing one of the largest railcar fleets in Europe. Comparable to ChemOil in fleet management services and rail transport of chemical/petroleum products, with broader scale and geographic reach.
• Ermewa: European rail freight and tank car leasing company (subsidiary of Ermewa Group / Fidérois). Comparable to ChemOil in European railcar leasing and chemical/petroleum rail freight, with broader pan-European footprint.
• Millet Group: French logistics company specializing in chemical and hazardous goods transport across Europe. Comparable to ChemOil in dangerous goods expertise, vertical focus on chemicals, and cross-border European rail operations.
• Hoyer Group: German family-owned logistics company specializing in liquid chemical transport via road, rail, and intermodal. Comparable to ChemOil in vertical focus (chemicals) and dangerous goods handling, with a more diversified modal mix.

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne + Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders, with a dedicated dangerous goods and chemical logistics division. Comparable to ChemOil in chemical customer base, but operates globally and across all transport modes.
• DB Cargo: Freight rail subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, the largest rail freight operator in Europe. Comparable to ChemOil in European rail freight handling but operates across all commodities, not exclusively chemicals/mineral oils.

Others

• SBB Cargo: Parent company of ChemOil and Switzerland's national rail freight operator. Included as a contextual reference rather than a true peer — same corporate group, but operates a much broader freight portfolio beyond ChemOil's hazmat specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 ChemOil Logistics