Waterfront Shipping

What Waterfront Shipping does

Waterfront Shipping B.V. is a privately-held Benelux freight forwarding and logistics services provider, founded in 1995 and operating from offices in Antwerp, Belgium and Barendrecht (Rotterdam), Netherlands with additional operational presence in Zeebrugge and Rotterdam. The company serves businesses requiring multi-modal logistics solutions across three core transport modes — sea freight (FCL/LCL, breakbulk, bulk, RORO, refrigerated, and project cargo), air freight (via partner network), and European road transport — supplemented by customs clearance, waiver document preparation (ECTN, CNCA, BIETC, BESC for routes to Angola and Gabon), ship agency services, and ancillary offerings such as warehousing, fumigation, transport insurance, and packaging.

The business operates without any proprietary technology platform, mobile application, or API; its service delivery is built on traditional freight forwarding expertise, direct customer relationships, and physical proximity to three major European ports. With a headcount of approximately 18 staff organized into small dedicated teams across the two countries, the company positions itself on personalized service, flexibility, and single-point-of-contact coordination rather than scale or technology differentiation.

Revenue is generated through transaction fees on freight forwarding engagements, with custom per-shipment pricing based on cargo type, volume, route, and supplementary service requirements. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and relationship-driven, with customers acquired through direct outreach, website inquiries, and industry referrals rather than digital marketing campaigns. The legal entity structure comprises a single Dutch B.V. with registered branches in both Belgium (enterprise number BE0456.527.332) and the Netherlands (KvK 24196116), with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, funding history, or M&A activity.

Name

Waterfront Shipping

Legal name

Waterfront Shipping B.V.

Website

https://waterfrontshipping.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Waterfront Shipping B.V. is a privately-held Benelux freight forwarder offering sea, air, and road transport plus customs services to B2B clients from offices in Antwerp and Rotterdam, operating with ~18 staff and no proprietary technology platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Marine Cargo Handling (48832)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

FCL (Full Container Load) Ocean Forwarding (TLACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Sea freight logistics
• Customs clearance services
• Road transport solutions
• Air freight forwarding

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerp

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight forwarding services: Revenue generated from providing freight forwarding services across sea, air, and road transport modes. The company charges for logistics coordination, transport arrangement, customs handling, and supplementary services such as warehousing, fumigation, and packaging. Service fees are likely quoted per shipment or through ongoing contractual relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Waterfront Shipping is a freight forwarding and logistics service provider offering sea freight (FCL/LCL, breakbulk, bulk, RORO, project and refrigerated cargo), air freight, European road transport, and customs clearance services including waiver document preparation (ECTN, CNCA, BIETC, BESC). The company also delivers ship agency services from its Netherlands office and supplementary offerings such as warehousing, fumigation, transport insurance, and packaging, providing business customers with a single point of contact for end-to-end international logistics.

Product overview

Waterfront Shipping offers a unified logistics platform providing complete freight solutions across three transport modes—sea freight, air freight, and road transport—complemented by customs clearance services, waiver document preparation, and ship agency operations. The core product portfolio consists of Sea Freight (global container, breakbulk, and project cargo shipping), Air Freight (import/export air transport), Road Transport (European trucking including specialized equipment), and Customs/Waivers services (customs formalities, documentation, and supplementary logistics services). Additional offerings include ship agent services and warehousing, allowing customers a single point of contact for coordinated end-to-end logistics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sea Freight Global container and project cargo shipping services including FCL/LCL shipments, breakbulk, bulk and liquid cargo, special equipment, project cargo, RORO, and refrigerated transport for import, export, and cross-trade, intended for businesses requiring international ocean freight forwarding.
• Air Freight Air freight services for import and export, handling regular shipments and urgent transports with customs formalities, air freight packaging, and temporary storage, intended for businesses requiring time-sensitive international air cargo forwarding.
• Road Transport European road transport solutions including full trailers, part loads, container transport, refrigerated/frozen transport, and special/exceptional heavy loads with specialized trailers, intended for businesses requiring inland distribution and pre-/on-carriage to/from European ports.
• Customs, Waivers & Other Services Customs clearance services including import/export documentation, T-1 documents, temporary import/export solutions, and waiver document preparation (ECTN, CNCA, BIETC, BESC) for shipments to destinations such as Angola and Gabon, intended for businesses needing regulatory and customs compliance support.
• Ship Agent Services Independent ship agency service from the Netherlands office handling complete loading/unloading operations, crew changes, supplies, bunkering, and port activity coordination, intended for vessel operators requiring port call support.
• Supplementary Logistics Services Additional services including transport insurance, warehousing, fumigation, and goods packaging coordinated alongside core transport services, intended for businesses needing comprehensive ancillary logistics support.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Network of experienced partnerscoreOthersWaterfront Shipping works with a network of experienced partners for air freight services, enabling them to transport goods safely and efficiently worldwide. The specific partner companies are not named on the website.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CEVA Logistics: Global 3PL offering ocean, air, and road freight plus contract logistics. Heavily present in European ports and a direct competitor for the multi-modal forwarding customers Waterfront Shipping targets.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Air and ocean freight forwarding arm of Deutsche Post DHL, with major operations in Antwerp and Rotterdam. Sets the competitive price benchmark for ocean freight and customs services in the same ports Waterfront Shipping serves.
• DSV: Global transport and logistics company with strong European road, air, and sea freight forwarding. A dominant Benelux forwarder representing the high-volume competitor that price-competes with small forwarders on standard lanes.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Global family-owned forwarder with strong road, air, and sea freight operations across Europe. Comparable offering breadth, but at materially larger scale; represents the broader competitive set Waterfront Shipping operates against.
• Rhenus Logistics: German-headquartered global freight forwarder and 3PL with deep European road, sea, and air freight capabilities. Overlaps with Waterfront Shipping's European multi-modal footprint and customs services, but at much larger scale.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with leading sea and air freight market shares globally. Operates extensively in Rotterdam and Antwerp, the same ports as Waterfront Shipping, but at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Regional players

• Holleman Special Transport: Dutch specialist in exceptional heavy and project cargo transport, with complementary forwarding and customs support. Comparable for the project-cargo and breakbulk segment Waterfront Shipping targets, but with a more specialized transport focus.

Direct peers

• Hamberger Logistics: Mid-sized European freight forwarder and 3PL offering sea, air, and road transport with customs brokerage. Comparable mid-market positioning and multi-modal service mix in markets Waterfront Shipping operates.
• Jan de Rijk Logistics: Dutch-headquartered multi-modal logistics provider offering road, air, and sea freight forwarding plus warehousing across Europe. Highly comparable as a Benelux-based, mid-sized forwarder with similar service breadth and private ownership profile.
• De Rijke: Family-owned Dutch logistics company providing road transport, warehousing, and forwarding services. Comparable as a privately held, relationship-driven Benelux logistics specialist competing in similar mid-market forwarding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waterfront-shipping

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Waterfront Shipping