What Vertraco Shipping does

Vertraco Shipping B.V. is a privately held Dutch shipping and logistics company headquartered in Rotterdam, operating since 1989 as the managing and commercial agent for its wholly-owned shipping subsidiary, Europe Caribbean Line (ECL). ECL runs scheduled liner services between Northwest Europe (Rotterdam, Vlissingen, Antwerp, Hull, Gijón, Dover) and the Caribbean and north coast of South America (Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, Venezuela), comprising a bi-weekly Reeferservice, a monthly South Caribbean Service, and specialized project cargo handling. The company owns a four-vessel fleet including the 2024-launched MV Vertom Joy with 150-ton combined onboard crane capacity, enabling self-sufficient loading without shore-based lifting infrastructure. Vertraco also operates a worldwide logistics and expedition arm covering sea, road, and air transport, and extends geographic reach via agency partnerships with Tropical & Kestrel Global Logistics to 30+ destinations.

The company serves a heterogeneous customer base ranging from multinationals and project cargo clients (oil rig operators, wind turbine developers, steel and construction exporters, supermarket chains) through small and medium businesses (truck dealers, agricultural exporters) down to private individuals shipping personal goods to family in Suriname and Guyana. Revenue is generated through transactional, quote-based pricing on a per-shipment basis for breakbulk, project cargo, containers (FCL/LCL), rolling stock, reefer, and bulk goods, with no public pricing list. Vertraco emphasizes personal customer service delivered via direct phone, email, and website quote requests, supported by a Track & Trace portal for real-time cargo visibility. The firm employs approximately 12–20 people in Rotterdam and ships roughly 200,000 tons of breakbulk and project cargo annually.

Name

Vertraco Shipping

Legal name

Vertraco Shipping B.V.

Website

https://vertraco.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vertraco Shipping B.V. is a Dutch privately held shipping line and logistics provider operating scheduled maritime services between Northwest Europe and the Caribbean/South America through its wholly-owned Europe Caribbean Line subsidiary, serving multinationals, SMBs, and private individuals with breakbulk, project cargo, containers, and reefer freight.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Shipping Services

NAICS

Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111), Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Expedited Ocean (Premium/Guaranteed / Fast-Transit Sea Freight) (TLADANAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH)

Keywords

• Maritime freight services
• Breakbulk cargo shipping
• Project cargo logistics
• Reefer container shipping
• Caribbean south america trade

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sea Freight Shipping: Core business involving maritime transport of cargo including breakbulk, project cargo, containers (FCL/LCL), rolling stock (Ro/Ro), and dry bulk. Services operate on scheduled liner services between Northwest Europe and the Caribbean/South America.
2. Logistics and Expedition Services: Worldwide logistics services including sea transport, road transport, and air transport. Handles cargo from smallest parcel to largest machine, offering complete logistical solutions from door to door.
3. Project Cargo Services: Specialized services for oversized or heavy cargo such as wind turbines, power plant components, and industrial machinery requiring custom lifting plans and specialized handling.
4. Reefer Services: Temperature-controlled shipping for perishable goods requiring specific temperature maintenance during transport.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vertraco Shipping operates its own scheduled liner service, Europe Caribbean Line (ECL), providing maritime transport of breakbulk, project cargo, containers (FCL/LCL), rolling stock (Ro/Ro), and dry bulk between Northwest Europe and the Caribbean and north coast of South America. The company offers two distinct scheduled services—Reeferservice (bi-weekly to Suriname/Guyana) and South Caribbean Service (monthly)—supplemented by worldwide logistics and expedition services spanning sea, road, and air transport with door-to-door handling.

Product overview

Vertraco Shipping operates as a shipping company and logistics provider with a portfolio centered around its own shipping line, Europe Caribbean Line (ECL), which offers two distinct services: the bi-weekly Reeferservice to Suriname and Guyana, and the monthly South Caribbean Service to broader Caribbean destinations. Complementing the ECL services is the Global Logistics and Expedition service providing worldwide sea, road, and air transport for all cargo types including containers (FCL/LCL), breakbulk, project cargo, rolling stock (Ro/Ro), and bulk goods. Additional offerings include specialized wind turbine shipping, a customer Track & Trace portal, and strategic partnerships with Tropical & Kestrel Global Logistics extending coverage to over 30 destinations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Reeferservice: Bi-weekly shipping service from Dover and Vlissingen to Paramaribo (Suriname) and Georgetown (Guyana), with weekly service to Georgetown added in 2023.
• South Caribbean Service

Products and services

• Europe Caribbean Line (ECL) Vertraco's own dedicated shipping line operating scheduled liner services between Northwest Europe and the north coast of South America and the Caribbean, with a fleet of four multipurpose vessels including the state-of-the-art MV Vertom Joy.
• Reeferservice Bi-weekly scheduled liner service from Dover and Vlissingen to Paramaribo (Suriname) and Georgetown (Guyana), carrying breakbulk, containers, and project cargo with delivery in approximately 10 days to Paramaribo and 12 days to Georgetown.
• South Caribbean Service Monthly scheduled liner service with fixed ports of call at Antwerp, Hull, Gijón, Georgetown, Paramaribo, Point Lisas (Trinidad), Matanzas/Puerto Ordaz (Venezuela), and Rotterdam, transporting breakbulk, rolling stock, yachts, bulk goods, and project cargo.
• Global Logistics and Expedition Worldwide logistics and expedition service providing door-to-door transport via sea, road, and air, including full containers (FCL), groupage (LCL), rolling stock (Ro/Ro), and breakbulk and project cargo, handling shipments from smallest parcel to largest machine.
• Wind Turbine Shipping Specialized project cargo service for transporting wind turbines and renewable energy equipment worldwide, with advanced preparation, multimodal coordination, and handling of oversized components.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero cargo lost during voyage in company history
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tropical & Kestrel Global LogisticscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2015Dutch agent for Tropical & Kestrel Global Logistics since 2015. The partnership enables shipping to over 30 destinations in the Caribbean, southern US, and Central America. Provides both container and groupage transport services, extending Vertraco's reach beyond their own liner services.
• SupermaritimecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStevedoring company handling loading and unloading of ships at Vlissingen port. Operations manager provides detailed insight into stevedoring processes including cargo handling, crane operations, and vessel loading planning. Partnership essential for quality cargo handling.
• Europe Caribbean Line (ECL)coreOthersVertraco is managing and commercial agent of Europe Caribbean Line (ECL), their own unique shipping company between Northwest Europe and the north coast of South America. ECL operates two separate liner services: Reeferservice and South Caribbean Service.
• A-SealminorOthersPartner mentioned in website footer, appears to be a logistics or packaging supplier.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CMA CGM: Global container shipping giant serving Caribbean/South America ports with extensive weekly liner services; competes with Vertraco on FCL/LCL container traffic.
• Grimaldi Group: Large European shipping group operating deep-sea and short-sea container, ro-ro, and car carrier services with Caribbean trade exposure — broader portfolio but overlapping with ECL's multipurpose capabilities.
• Maersk Line: World's largest container carrier with extensive Caribbean and South America service coverage, competing primarily with ECL's containerized offerings rather than its project cargo niche.

Direct peers

• Spliethoff: Dutch multipurpose/project cargo shipowner with global breakbulk and heavy-lift services; a directly comparable Dutch-headquartered competitor in project cargo and oversized transport.
• King Ocean Services: Caribbean-focused ocean carrier offering less-than-container, full-container, and breakbulk services between the US/Canada and the Caribbean/South America — a directly comparable regional specialist.
• Tropical Shipping: A leading container and breakbulk carrier serving the Caribbean and parts of Central/South America from North America; comparable in customer base (Caribbean importers/exporters) and multipurpose cargo handling.
• BBC Chartering: World's largest operator of multipurpose/project cargo vessels, frequently competing with Vertraco on heavy-lift tenders such as wind turbine and industrial machinery transports.
• Seatrade (Grimaldi Group): Reefer and container specialist in Caribbean/South America trade with multipurpose capabilities, competing for the same perishable and project cargo customers Vertraco serves.
• Geest Line (Varamar): Operates a dedicated multipurpose liner service between North West Europe and the Caribbean, directly overlapping Vertraco/ECL's core trade lane and cargo mix (containers, breakbulk, refrigerated, project cargo).

Others

• Kestrel Global Logistics: Partner of Vertraco and Caribbean/Central America logistics specialist; comparable in geography and customer segment, providing an indirect read on regional trade flows that affect Vertraco.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vertraco
• Xx.com/vertraco
• Facebookfacebook.com/VertracoShipping

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Vertraco Shipping