INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING LINES INCORPORATED

What INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING LINES INCORPORATED does

International Shipping Lines Incorporated is a privately held freight forwarding and logistics company founded around 1995 and headquartered at 2418 W Devon Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, with a second office in North York, Ontario, Canada. The company operates as an asset-light intermediary rather than a carrier, brokering international freight movements through a network of eight major global shipping line partners — Maersk, COSCO, CMA CGM, OOCL, Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen, ACL, and MSC — and delivering five integrated service lines: Air Cargo Logistics for time-sensitive and high-value shipments, Sea Cargo Logistics for port-to-port ocean freight, Road & Rail Cargo Logistics for inland movement from ports to final destinations, Trade Compliance Solutions covering import/export documentation, customs, and classification, and an Authorized Shipping Center handling neighborhood parcels and last-mile drops.

The business runs on a sales-led, direct relationship model: physical offices in Chicago and North York serve as both sales touchpoints and operational intake points, with all inbound routed through a single [email protected] inbox and quote-based, undisclosed pricing applied to each shipment. Revenue is generated through transaction fees on freight movement and ancillary logistics services — customs coordination, documentation management, warehousing, and door-to-door delivery. The customer base is hybrid, spanning B2B freight customers (importers, exporters, and businesses with complex door-to-door needs including vessel charters and perishable cargo) and walk-in SMB/individual shippers using the Authorized Shipping Center channel.

Technology is not a stated differentiator. The company describes "modern technology" and "advanced tracking tools" and "optimized routing" on its website, but discloses no proprietary platform, no API, no SDK, no mobile app, no integrations, and no AI capabilities. The offering is fundamentally human-mediated logistics coordination rather than a software or platform business. The company is owner-operated with no disclosed institutional investment, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no management team profiles publicly available.

Name

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING LINES INCORPORATED

Legal name

International Shipping Lines Inc.

Website

https://islines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

International Shipping Lines Incorporated is a privately held Chicago-based freight forwarder brokering ocean, air, and ground freight, customs brokerage, and neighborhood parcel services for B2B importers and exporters across the US and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL) (TLACABAF), Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL)

Keywords

• International freight forwarding
• Ocean freight services
• Air cargo logistics
• Customs brokerage
• Trade compliance solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: The company generates revenue through comprehensive logistics and freight forwarding services, including ocean freight, air cargo, and ground transport. Services also include customs coordination, documentation management, warehousing, and door-to-door delivery. Revenue is likely derived from transaction-based fees and service charges for freight movement and logistics management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

International Shipping Lines Inc. is a Chicago-based freight forwarding and logistics company that arranges the movement of cargo internationally and domestically. It offers ocean freight, air cargo, ground transport, trade compliance/customs brokerage, and operates as an authorized neighborhood shipping center, managing end-to-end shipment coordination including documentation, customs clearance, warehousing, and door-to-door delivery.

Product overview

International Shipping Lines Inc. provides a unified logistics platform offering comprehensive freight and logistics services. The portfolio consists of five integrated service lines: Air Cargo Logistics for time-sensitive shipments, Sea Cargo Logistics for ocean freight, Road & Rail Cargo Logistics for inland transport, Trade Compliance Solutions for regulatory guidance, and an Authorized Shipping Center for local parcel handling. These services work together to deliver end-to-end logistics solutions including customs coordination, documentation management, warehousing, and door-to-door delivery across global markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Cargo Logistics Air freight forwarding services for time-sensitive, high-value, or perishable cargo, ensuring shipments reach destinations efficiently, safely, and on schedule for business and individual shippers.
• Sea Cargo Logistics Port-to-port ocean freight services handling full container loads and smaller shipments, including documentation, customs clearance, and transport logistics for importers and exporters.
• Road and Rail Cargo Logistics Inland ground freight services that move cargo from ports to warehouses and final destinations, including planning, permits, tracking, and delivery coordination.
• Trade Compliance Solutions Trade compliance and customs brokerage services ensuring shipments meet all trade regulations, including import/export documentation, customs regulations, licensing, and classification.
• Authorized Shipping Center Conveniently located authorized shipping center handling parcels, documentation, and deliveries with speed, security, and care for neighborhood 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MaerskcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaersk is a major global shipping line partner. The company's logo appears in the 'Our Partners' section, indicating a working relationship for ocean freight services.
• COSCO ShippingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCOSCO Shipping is a leading global shipping carrier partner. The partnership enables access to extensive ocean freight routes and container shipping services.
• CMA CGMcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCMA CGM is a prominent shipping line partner featured in the partner section, providing ocean freight capabilities for the company's logistics network.
• OOCL (Orient Overseas Container Line)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOOCL is an international shipping line partner in the network, contributing to the company's ocean freight service offerings.
• Hapag-LloydcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHapag-Lloyd serves as a key shipping line partner, enhancing the company's ability to serve global ocean freight routes.
• Evergreen MarinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvergreen Marine is a trusted shipping partner providing container shipping services as part of the logistics network.
• ACL (Atlantic Container Line)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorACL is an ocean freight partner contributing to the company's Atlantic shipping route capabilities.
• MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSC is a major global shipping line partner, providing extensive ocean freight network access for the company's services.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• DB Schenker: Global freight forwarder and logistics provider offering ocean, air, road, and customs services. Direct service-line overlap with ISL, with much broader international footprint.
• Expeditors International: Large publicly-traded global freight forwarder offering ocean, air, and ground forwarding plus customs services. Operates at vastly greater scale than ISL but covers the same core service categories.
• Yusen Logistics: Global freight forwarder offering ocean, air, road forwarding and customs brokerage. Comparable service portfolio to ISL, with significantly broader geographic reach.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with full ocean, air, road, and customs capabilities. Comparable service portfolio to ISL but global scale and breadth.
• Kerry Logistics: Asia-headquartered global freight forwarder offering ocean, air, road, and customs services. Comparable service line-up to ISL with particular strength on trans-Pacific lanes.
• C.H. Robinson: Major North American freight broker and forwarder covering ocean, air, and ground transport plus customs. Overlapping service mix, though more skewed toward North American truckload brokerage.
• Dachser: Global logistics provider with ocean, air, and road forwarding services plus customs support. Comparable international forwarding capabilities to ISL, with much larger European-anchored network.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Global freight forwarder providing ocean, air, road, and customs brokerage services. Comparable service mix to ISL across international forwarding, with much larger global network.

Direct peers

• Worldwide Express: North American freight and logistics provider offering ocean, air, and ground forwarding plus parcel services. Comparable mid-market freight-forwarding profile to ISL, with emphasis on SMB customers.

Emerging players

• Flexport: Digital-first international freight forwarder arranging ocean, air, and ground freight plus customs brokerage. Highly comparable to ISL on service scope, but serves a more tech-forward, enterprise customer base via proprietary software.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

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 →

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