Rayson Shipping

What Rayson Shipping does

Rayson Shipping (Pty) Ltd is a privately held South African clearing and forwarding company founded in 1980 by Trevor Rayson and headquartered at Rayson House, 9 Dumbarton Road, Durban. The firm provides import and export customs clearing, international forwarding (FCL, LCL, groupage, break bulk, and consolidated airfreight), specialized project cargo and heavy/abnormal plant movement with door-to-door service, container handling across dry cargo, open top, flat rack, and platform/flatbed types, and a basic online shipment tracking module hosted on rayson.co.za. Its customer base targets South African import/export trade and blue-chip industrial clients requiring heavy plant logistics, with no named enterprise logos publicly disclosed.

The business is structured around professional-services revenue earned on a quote basis per shipment or project, with no publicly disclosed pricing or subscription tiers. Operations are anchored at a single Durban headquarters, represented at all South African ports, and extended internationally through a network of 150 appointed agents across 70 countries via associations with established international forwarders — giving the company a global service footprint without owned overseas infrastructure. The firm is ISO 9001:2015 certified by Bureau Veritas (continuously held since 1998), holds SARS Customs accreditation under section 64E of the Customs and Excise Act, and is a BBBEE Level 2 contributor; an Information Officer was appointed in mid-2021 to align with POPIA. The company has no disclosed funding, subsidiaries, M&A activity, mobile applications, public APIs, or AI/ML capabilities, and operates with an 11-50 employee footprint.

Name

Rayson Shipping

Legal name

Rayson Shipping (PTY) Ltd

Website

https://rayson.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rayson Shipping is a privately held Durban-based clearing and forwarding agent, founded in 1980, providing import/export customs clearing, international sea and air forwarding, and specialized heavy plant and project cargo services to South African and blue-chip industrial clients via a 150-agent network across 70 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Customs Clearing Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

FCL (Full Container Load) Ocean Forwarding (TLACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL) (TLACABAF), Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), LCL (Less-than-Container Load) Consolidation/Deconsolidation (TLACABAB), Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH), Ocean Freight Brokerage (FCL/LCL) (TLADAMAF)

Keywords

• Clearing and forwarding
• Import export logistics
• International freight forwarding
• Project cargo handling
• Customs clearance

Headquarters

HQ city

Durban

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Clearing and Forwarding Services: Import and export clearing and forwarding services for cargo movement
2. International Forwarding: FCL (Full Container Load), LCL (Less than Container Load), Groupage, Break Bulk cargo and Consolidated Airfreight services to and from all major trading areas
3. Project Cargo / Heavy Plant Movement: Specialized movement of heavy and abnormal plant and machinery for import and export, including door-to-door services
4. Container Services: Dry cargo, open top, flat rack, and platform/flatbed container services

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Rayson Shipping provides import and export clearing and forwarding services, handling customs documentation, packing advice, and cargo movement logistics for clients in South Africa and internationally. The company specializes in international forwarding (FCL, LCL, Groupage, Break Bulk, consolidated airfreight), project cargo and heavy plant movement, and a full range of container handling services. Operations are supported by a network of 150 appointed agents across 70 countries, with online shipment tracking available through the company website.

Product overview

Rayson Shipping operates as a clearing and forwarding company offering a unified portfolio of import/export logistics services. The core offering centers on international forwarding services (FCL, LCL, Groupage, Break Bulk, and Airfreight) complemented by specialized heavy plant and project cargo movement capabilities. Additional services include container handling, shipment tracking, and customs clearing. The company serves clients globally through a network of 150 appointed agents in 70 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Import and Export Clearing and Forwarding Core customs clearing and forwarding service for import and export cargo, handling documentation, packing advice, and cargo movement logistics for businesses trading internationally.
• International Forwarding Services Comprehensive international shipping services including FCL (Full Container Load), LCL (Less than Container Load), Groupage, Break Bulk cargo, and Consolidated Airfreight to and from all major trading areas, served to importers and exporters requiring global freight coordination.
• Projects / Heavy Plant Movement Specialized service for the safe and secure movement of heavy and abnormal plant and machinery for both import and export, including lifting, securing, and door-to-door project logistics management, targeted at blue chip companies handling oversized industrial cargo.
• Container Services Container handling services covering Dry Cargo, Open Top, Flat Rack, and Platform/Flatbed containers for various cargo types moving through South African ports.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7000 tons of power plant equipment moved from Durban Harbour to Steelpoort, Mpumalanga
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 150 Appointed International AgentscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRayson Shipping utilizes a network of 150 appointed agents worldwide through associations with renowned international forwarders. This enables the company to offer first class and reliable forwarding services by sea and air to and from all major trading areas. Partners operate in 70 countries.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Imperial Logistics: Major South African-headquartered logistics group offering freight forwarding, customs clearing, contract logistics, and project cargo — one of Rayson's most direct regional competitors with BBBEE credentials and similar local market focus.
• Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions: South African logistics company offering freight forwarding, customs clearing, and supply chain solutions with similar regional focus and customer base to Rayson.
• Bidvest Logistics: South African freight forwarding and logistics provider within the Bidvest Group — competes with Rayson in clearing & forwarding, customs brokerage, and supply chain solutions in the domestic market.

Broad incumbents

• DSV Panalpina: Global freight forwarding and logistics giant with established South African presence offering ocean, air, road, and project cargo services — competes with Rayson for the same enterprise import/export customers in South Africa.
• Maersk (South Africa): Global ocean carrier and integrated logistics provider with South African operations covering ocean freight, customs, and inland logistics — increasingly competing with independent forwarders like Rayson via end-to-end offerings.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with significant South African operations offering FCL/LCL ocean forwarding, project cargo, customs brokerage, and airfreight — direct category overlap with Rayson's full service portfolio at a much larger global scale.
• Expeditors International: US-headquartered global forwarder with South African operations offering ocean and air forwarding plus customs brokerage — competes for the same enterprise customers as Rayson.
• MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company: World's largest ocean container carrier with South African port operations and integrated logistics services — direct competitor to Rayson for ocean import/export freight and customs clearing at Durban.
• CMA CGM (South Africa): Global ocean carrier with growing South African forwarding and logistics footprint offering FCL ocean, customs clearance, and inland services — competes for the same Durban-anchored import/export flow as Rayson.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Major global forwarder with deep South African operations covering FCL/LCL ocean, airfreight, customs clearance, and project logistics — directly comparable service mix to Rayson at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rayson-shipping

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Rayson Shipping