Transmar International Shipping Company

What Transmar International Shipping Company does

Transmar International Shipping Company is a Cairo-headquartered regional container shipping line and integrated logistics provider serving the Red Sea, MENA, and East Africa trade lanes since 1979 (originally established as International Associated Cargo Carrier). The company operates a vertically integrated platform that combines owned vessel capacity (flagship MV Transmar Legacy at 2,100 TEU plus chartered tonnage totaling 33,000 TEU and 144,000 TEU annual carrying capacity — the largest dedicated capacity in the Red Sea), terminal operations as the leading operator of Adabiya Port in Suez (150,000 M² of storage, 300 stevedoring equipment units, 1-2 day clearance turnaround), intermodal trucking and warehousing through sister company Transcargo International (TCI), and a fleet of 750+ refrigerated containers with live telematics monitoring. In July 2022, AD Ports Group acquired a 70% stake as its first overseas acquisition, while the founding El Ahwal family retains 30% and Mohamed El Ahwal continues as CEO and Chairman.

Transmar generates revenue primarily through transaction-fee container shipping across fixed liner routes, supplemented by managed-services end-to-end logistics and bulk chartering. It serves enterprise shippers across ten industry verticals, with petrochemicals (84+ companies, 3M+ tons annually, seven countries) as the primary segment since 1986, alongside fresh produce, home appliances (7,796 shipments for 33 shippers), pharmaceuticals, building materials, agri products, textiles, paper, food, and home/personal care. The go-to-market blends dedicated enterprise account managers with a digital self-service portal (Locus Software) for booking, scheduling, and real-time container tracking, plus country-level shipping agents in each market. Pricing is quote-based per route and customer, with publicly disclosed demurrage/detention rates per office.

Recent strategic moves include simultaneous market expansion into India, Yemen, Sudan, Kuwait, and Iraq in 2023, the launch of Egypt's first fixed-schedule freight rail service in 2025 (Robaiky–Adabiya, 200 TEU weekly capacity, in partnership with G3A), a green methanol storage and bunkering JV at the Suez Canal with AD Ports Group and Orascom Construction, and a USD 25 million vessel finance facility with EFG Hermes. The company holds ISO certifications across quality, environmental, safety, food safety, and information security management, and maintains direct presence in 12+ countries across MENA and East Africa.

Name

Transmar International Shipping Company

Legal name

Transmar

Website

https://transmar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Transmar is a Cairo-headquartered regional container shipping line and integrated logistics provider serving the Red Sea, MENA, and East Africa since 1979, operating the largest dedicated Red Sea container capacity (144,000 TEU annual), Adabiya Port terminal, and vertically integrated services for enterprise shippers across petrochemicals, fresh produce, and ten other verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Container Shipping and Integrated Logistics

NAICS

Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111), Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885), Support Activities for Transportation (488)

SIC

Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Water Transportation (4400), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Intermodal Terminal Value-Added Services (Cross-Dock, Transload, Stuffing/Stripping) (TLAJAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH), Rail-Truck Transload Terminals (Inland) (TLALAFAJ), Chemicals & Hazmat Transload (Regulated Goods) (TLALAFAH)

Keywords

• Container shipping services
• Ocean freight logistics
• Reefer container transport
• Port terminal operations
• Integrated supply chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices23 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Container Shipping and Liner Services: Core ocean freight revenue from containerized cargo shipping across the MENA and Red Sea region, including dry cargo, refrigerated cargo, and hazardous goods. Services include vessel operations, container leasing, and liner schedule management across fixed routes.
2. Bulk Chartering Services: Bulk cargo transportation via Transmar Bulk, connecting vessels with opportunities and providing competitive freight solutions across various trade routes. Volume of approximately 250,000 metric tons handled to date.
3. Integrated Logistics and End-to-End Services: Vertically integrated services including maritime shipping, warehousing, trucking, terminal handling, port operations, container stuffing/stripping, and customs clearance, operated in tandem with sister company Transcargo International (TCI).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Transmar operates a regional container shipping line and integrated logistics business serving the Red Sea, Middle East, and East Africa, with an owned 2,100 TEU vessel (MV Transmar Legacy), a 33,000 TEU container fleet including 750+ reefer units, ownership and operation of Adabiya Port terminal in Suez, and end-to-end services covering maritime shipping, trucking, warehousing, terminal handling, customs clearance, and container stuffing/stripping. It also offers bulk chartering via Transmar Bulk and operates Egypt's first fixed-schedule freight rail service linking Robaiky to Adabiya Port.

Product overview

Transmar offers a unified shipping and logistics platform focused on the Red Sea and MENA region. The core portfolio consists of maritime shipping services (containers, cargo, fleet, terminals, chartering), integrated end-to-end logistics (warehousing, trucking, customs clearance, rail), and digital solutions (booking, scheduling, tracking). The company operates Adabiya Port as a strategic hub and maintains sister-company Transcargo International (TCI) for vertically integrated services. The product suite also includes specialized freight rail service (Egypt's first fixed freight rail link) and an extensive fleet of 33K TEUs including 750+ reefer containers. Transmar serves industry-specific verticals including petrochemicals, building materials, food products, agricultural products, fresh produce, paper products, textiles, home appliances, pharmaceuticals, and home and personal care products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Solutions Digital ecosystem encompassing tools for booking, scheduling, and tracking shipments, providing real-time visibility and control over cargo movements through a user-friendly interface. Targeted at enterprise shippers using Transmar's liner services.
• Transmar Bulk (Chartering Solutions) Bulk cargo transportation arm that connects vessels with chartering opportunities and provides competitive freight solutions across various trade routes. Approximately 250,000 metric tons handled to date. Targeted at industrial bulk cargo customers.
• Freight Rail Service Egypt's first fixed-schedule freight rail service connecting Robaiky to Adabiya Port via strategic partnership with G3A, with 2 departures per week and 200 TEUs weekly capacity, fully aligned with Transmar's terminal and ocean freight services.
• End-to-End Services Integrated logistics services including maritime shipping, warehousing, trucking, terminal handling, port operation, container stuffing/stripping, and customs clearance, operated in partnership with sister company Transcargo International (TCI).
• Terminals (Adabiya Port Operations) Leading operator of Adabiya Port in Suez providing end-to-end terminal solutions including trucking, shipping, stevedoring, warehousing, and terminal operations with 1-2 day clearance turnaround. Strategically located 140 km east of Cairo.
• Fleet (Container Liner Service) Owned fleet including MV Transmar Legacy (2,100 TEU capacity) plus chartered vessels, providing 144,000 TEU annual carrying capacity and operating dedicated container liner services across Red Sea and Arabian Gulf routes.
• Containers (Dry and Reefer Leasing/Shipping) Container shipping service backed by a 33,000 TEU fleet including 20ft standard dry, 40ft standard dry, 40ft high cube, and 40ft reefer containers, supporting regional cargo movements.
• Cargo Services Shipping solutions covering dry cargo (paper, building materials, appliances, petrochemicals, food-grade), refrigerated cargo, and hazardous cargo with expert handling and real-time tracking for enterprise shippers.
• Reefer Containers (Temperature-Controlled Shipping) Temperature-controlled refrigerated container shipping for perishable goods, featuring telematics for live temperature and humidity monitoring and two-way OTA control. Largest carrier of Egyptian reefer exports to KSA. 750+ reefer units in fleet.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.2 million tons shipped
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments9 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.

• G3AcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with G3A to operate Egypt's first fixed-schedule freight rail service connecting Robaiky to Adabiya Port. This multimodal integration provides seamless cargo movement with 2 weekly departures and 200 TEU weekly capacity, reducing road congestion and carbon footprint.
• Keuhne & NagelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIACC (Transmar's predecessor) established a joint venture with Keuhne & Nagel in 1983, operating one of Egypt's premier freight forwarders at the time.
• Orascom ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransmar, AD Ports Group, and Orascom Construction are collaborating to build a state-of-the-art green methanol storage, export, and bunkering facility at Suez Canal, positioning the Suez Canal as a hub for green fuel refueling.
• Transcargo International (TCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTCI is Transmar's sister company operating container activity at Adabiya Port, providing fully integrated services including trucking, warehousing, stevedoring, and terminal operations. This vertical integration enables end-to-end logistics under one coordinated network.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves24 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• A.P. Moller-Maersk: Denmark-headquartered global container liner and integrated logistics provider with substantial Red Sea / Suez exposure and a portfolio that includes end-to-end supply chain services. Comparable to Transmar in the integrated logistics dimension while operating at vastly larger scale.
• Hapag-Lloyd: Germany-headquartered global container line (including former UASC MENA franchise) with significant Middle East trade presence. Comparable to Transmar on Red Sea routings and regional container services, with much larger fleet scale and global alliance membership.
• CMA CGM: France-headquartered global container liner with one of the world's largest fleets and significant Red Sea / MENA service. While much larger and globally diversified, CMA CGM directly competes on Red Sea routings and serves overlapping petrochemical and FMCG shippers.
• Ocean Network Express (ONE): Japan-headquartered global container line formed from the merger of NYK, MOL, and K Line, with extensive Asia-Middle East-Africa trade lane coverage. Comparable to Transmar on regional Asia-Africa container flows and similar customer verticals (FMCG, building materials).
• Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC): The world's largest container line by capacity with extensive Red Sea, Mediterranean, and intra-MENA services. Competes directly with Transmar on regional routes and terminal handling while operating at substantially greater scale across global trade lanes.
• COSCO Shipping: China-headquartered global container line and one of the world's largest, with substantial Asia-Red Sea-Mediterranean service coverage. Comparable to Transmar on the Asia-to-MENA ocean freight corridor that underpins both companies' regional flows.

Emerging players

• PIL (Pacific International Lines): Singapore-headquartered container line with strong intra-Asia and Asia-Africa coverage, serving similar emerging market trade lanes to Transmar. Comparable as a regional-to-mid-tier liner focused on Asia-Africa and intra-Asia container flows with port/terminal integration.

Direct peers

• ZIM Integrated Shipping: Israel-headquartered global container line with strong intra-regional and Asia-Mediterranean trade lane presence. Comparable to Transmar as a regional-rooted liner serving similar Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea corridors with a multi-vessel fleet and digital-first customer platform.
• Bahri: Saudi Arabia's national shipping carrier, operating one of the world's largest fleets of ro-ro, bulk, and container vessels with deep MENA, Red Sea, and Asia trade lane coverage. Directly comparable to Transmar as a regionally anchored, state-linked liner serving petrochemical and bulk cargo flows across the same geographies.
• Arkas Line: Turkish container shipping line operating regional services in the Eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea, and North Africa with feeder and short-sea networks. Closely comparable to Transmar in operating a regional liner model with port-adjacent services and short-sea trade focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Transmar.company
• Facebookfacebook.com/transmar.net
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/transmarline
• Instagraminstagram.com/transmar.co

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Transmar International Shipping Company