Sino Ocean

What Sino Ocean does

Sino Ocean (深圳市华海通运国际货运) is a Shenzhen-headquartered, privately held international freight forwarding company founded in 1999. It operates as a licensed Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC, MOC-NV02462) and member of the China International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFA), delivering multimodal logistics services across ocean shipping, air freight, bonded logistics, supply chain management, special container handling, and cross-border e-commerce logistics (notably Amazon FBA). The company serves import/export trading companies, cross-border e-commerce sellers, foreign suppliers, and domestic processing trade factories, with named anchor customers including OOCL (a 20-year strategic partner on Asia-Europe routes) and Amazon FBA shippers in the USA, UK, and Europe.

The company's service platform is built around six core product lines: ocean freight forwarding (import/export cargo, customs clearance, commodity inspection, dangerous goods, warehousing, and door-to-door multimodal transport); air freight (international air cargo leveraging integrated Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong airport operations); bonded logistics and customs brokerage; supply chain management acting as an integrator of procurement, distribution, inventory, and transportation; specialized containers (reefer, open-top, flat rack, tank, livestock, car, and garment-hanging); and cross-border e-commerce logistics covering FBA sea/air/land transport, overseas warehousing, and DDP delivery. Distribution is delivered through 10 wholly owned branch offices across major Chinese ports (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhongshan, Ningbo, Shekou, Shanghai, Qingdao, Zhuhai), a fleet of 100+ container trucks, and an overseas agent network of 1,000+ partners coordinated through World Cargo Alliance (WCA, ID 58316) membership, reaching all major ports globally and handling 10,000+ TEUs per month.

Sino Ocean makes money primarily through transaction-based freight forwarding fees on sea and air shipments, supplemented by professional-services fees for customs brokerage, bonded logistics, and supply chain management, all priced on a quote-by-quote basis with no publicly disclosed rate cards. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales targeting overseas customers, domestic factories, and trading companies with channel sales through WCA's worldwide agent network and direct-to-consumer fulfillment for cross-border e-commerce sellers. The company is founder-led (Chairman Fang Zong, General Manager Cheng Zong), has grown from 3 employees in 1999 to 600+ today, and has steadily expanded its domestic branch network — most recently opening Qingdao and Zhuhai offices and relocating its Shenzhen headquarters in 2024.

Name

Sino Ocean

Legal name

深圳市华海通运国际货运代理有限公司

Website

https://sinooceancn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Sino Ocean is a Shenzhen-headquartered, NVOCC-licensed international freight forwarder offering ocean, air, bonded, and cross-border e-commerce logistics to Chinese exporters, importers, and trading companies via 10 domestic branches and a 1,000+ agent global network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

NVOCC Operations & Ocean Consolidation (TLACABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier) Ocean Consolidation (LCL) (TLACALAA), Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL) (TLACABAF), Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Cross-Border E-commerce Ocean Forwarding (DDP/DDU) (TLACABAK), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

Keywords

• International freight forwarding
• Ocean shipping services
• Air cargo logistics
• Bonded customs brokerage
• Cross-border e-commerce logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Shenzhen

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sea Freight Services: Ocean freight forwarding including import and export cargo transportation, customs clearance, commodity inspection, dangerous goods declaration, storage, ground transportation, container multimodal transport and door-to-door services.
2. Air Freight Services: International air cargo and express delivery services leveraging Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong airports with global route coverage.
3. Supply Chain Management: Supply chain optimization services including procurement, distribution, inventory control, and logistics management for global marketplace solutions.
4. Cross-border E-commerce Logistics: Amazon FBA transportation, door-to-door services, overseas warehousing, one-stop delivery for cross-border e-commerce.
5. Bonded Logistics: Customs clearance brokerage services helping foreign suppliers and domestic trading factories reduce operational costs.
6. Special Container Services: Specialized containers including reefer (refrigerated), open-top, flat rack, livestock, tank, car, and garment containers for various cargo requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sino Ocean is an international freight forwarding company that provides end-to-end logistics services including ocean shipping (import/export cargo, customs clearance, multimodal transport), air freight, bonded logistics, supply chain management, special container services, and cross-border e-commerce logistics. Operating as a licensed NVOCC with a global network of 1,000+ overseas agents, the company handles approximately 10,000 TEUs per month for import/export trading companies, manufacturers, and e-commerce sellers across major trade lanes.

Product overview

Sino Ocean is a freight forwarding company offering integrated logistics services across ocean shipping, air freight, bonded logistics, and supply chain management. The core product portfolio consists of ocean shipping services (import/export cargo transportation, customs clearance, multimodal transport), air freight services (international air cargo and express delivery), bonded logistics services (customs clearing brokerage), supply chain management (integrated logistics solutions), special container services (refrigerated, open-top, tank containers), and cross-border e-commerce logistics (Amazon FBA, DDP services). The company operates as a NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier) with a global network of over 1,000 overseas agent partners and monthly volume of 10,000 TEUs worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ocean Shipping (海运) Freight forwarding services for import/export cargo including customs clearance, inspection, dangerous goods declaration, warehousing, and ground transportation. Provides full-service import distribution and export consolidation, container and heavy equipment multimodal transport, and door-to-door services.
• Air Freight (空运) International air cargo and express delivery services leveraging integrated advantages of Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong airports, with routes covering the globe.
• Bonded Logistics (保税物流) Customs clearing broker services for bonded logistics, including brokerage, inspection, documentation, and final clearance according to legal procedures. Helps foreign suppliers and domestic trading/processing factories reduce operating costs and improve international competitiveness.
• Supply Chain Management (供应链管理) Integrated logistics services beyond transportation and distribution, acting as an integrator of material and transportation management services and information to provide best solutions for clients.
• Special Container Services (特种柜) Special container services including refrigerated containers (RF), open-top containers (OT), platform-based containers, pen containers for livestock, tank containers (TK) for liquids, car containers, and garment hanging containers.
• Cross-border E-commerce Logistics (跨境电商物流) Amazon FBA transportation services with first-hand door-to-door integrated logistics. Services include USA, UK, Europe international special lines, small packages, FBA sea/air/land transportation, customs clearance, overseas warehousing, one-stop delivery, and DDP to door.

Quantifiable outcome

• Monthly delivery volume of 10,000+ TEUs worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• World Cargo Alliance (WCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive member of World Cargo Alliance (ID 58316), providing access to worldwide agent network covering all major ports globally. Enables seamless international freight forwarding services through network partnerships.
• China International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of CIFA, the national association for freight forwarding industry in China, providing industry recognition and networking opportunities.
• OOCL (Orient Overseas Container Line)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner20-year strategic partnership as core customer and key Asia route customer. Visited OOCL Hong Kong office and 'OOC Hong Kong' vessel (21,413 TEU capacity), one of the world's largest container ships. Partnership covers Asia-Europe LL1 route service.
• Multiple Shipping CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished good and strategic partnerships with many shipping companies, obtaining unique advantages on shipping routes of Middle East, India/Pakistan, Red Sea, Southeast Asia, North America, Europe, Mediterranean, Black Sea, Central and South America.
• Major Airlines (China and Overseas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished good cooperation with well-known airlines of China and overseas, enabling strong air cargo operations covering airports in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
• 1,000+ Overseas Agent CompaniesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEstablished partnerships with over 1,000 overseas agent companies covering major ports worldwide for comprehensive global service network.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Yusen Logistics: Asia-Pacific focused global forwarder with significant China operations covering ocean, air, contract logistics, and supply chain management. Closely matches Sino Ocean's multi-modal service portfolio and cross-border China trade flow focus.
• Kerry Logistics Network: Hong Kong-headquartered Asia-based freight forwarder and logistics integrator with strong China presence. Comparable in offering integrated ocean/air forwarding, customs brokerage, and contract logistics across Asia-to-global trade lanes.
• Sinotrans Limited: China's largest state-owned freight forwarder and logistics provider with deep ocean, air, and contract logistics capabilities across domestic and international routes. Directly comparable to Sino Ocean in core NVOCC, customs brokerage, and freight forwarding services, though at much greater scale and with SOE backing.

Broad incumbents

• CEVA Logistics: French-headquartered global forwarder and contract logistics provider, now majority-owned by CMA CGM. Comparable offering in ocean/air forwarding, customs, contract logistics, and Asia export consolidation.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with extensive China network and full ocean, air, road, and contract logistics offerings. Competes with Sino Ocean for large enterprise import/export customers and global lane coverage.
• DB Schenker: Global freight forwarder and contract logistics provider with strong Asia-Pacific operations. Overlaps with Sino Ocean in ocean/air forwarding, customs brokerage, and integrated supply chain solutions for global trade.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Global freight forwarding arm of Deutsche Post DHL, with substantial China presence in ocean, air, customs, and supply chain. Direct overlap with Sino Ocean's full-service forwarding and customs brokerage portfolio.
• Expeditors International: US-listed global freight forwarder with strong Asia Pacific operations and asset-light model similar to Sino Ocean. Overlaps in ocean/air forwarding, customs brokerage, and order management for Asia-exporting manufacturers and trading companies.

Emerging players

• Flexport: US-based digital-native freight forwarder with strong China-to-global ocean and air capabilities. Targets the same cross-border e-commerce and mid-market exporter customer base as Sino Ocean, but with a proprietary technology platform that traditional forwarders lack.
• J&T International (J&T Express cross-border arm): Asia-headquartered express and cross-border logistics provider rapidly expanding in China-to-global e-commerce logistics. Competes with Sino Ocean specifically in the cross-border e-commerce logistics and Amazon FBA seller segment, with growing ocean and air capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sinoocean-group-ltd

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Sino Ocean