Polaris Autoliners Limited

What Polaris Autoliners Limited does

Polaris Autoliners Limited is a London-headquartered, privately held Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ocean shipping specialist focused on transporting passenger vehicles, heavy machinery, project cargo, and high-and-heavy equipment for major automotive OEMs and logistics providers. The company operates a controlled fleet of 10 vessels — 5 owned and 5 chartered — with combined capacities ranging from 1,000 to 6,700 Car Equivalent Units (CEU), deployed across deep-sea and short-sea routes spanning Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, North Europe–Turkey, and Asia–Oceania corridors. In 2025 the company reported transporting more than 650,000 vehicles. The firm was originally established in 2013 as Salloum Logistics and restructured into Polaris Group, which today comprises three sub-brands: Polaris Autoliners (ocean transportation), Polaris Logistics (formerly Salloum Logistics, providing inland trucking, warehousing, and terminal operations across 7 European countries with 230+ trucks and 4 inland terminals), and Polaris Bulkers (asset-light dry-bulk freight solutions using FFA and COA instruments).

The underlying technology centers on purpose-built Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs) that reduce handling time and cargo damage versus containerized alternatives, paired with an established feeder network that connects deep-sea trunk routes to short-sea coastal and inland distribution. Polaris monetizes through quote-based, contract-grade shipping services billed per voyage/route, alongside professional-services billing for inland logistics and transaction-fee billing for dry-bulk freight. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting major automotive OEMs and 3PLs, supported by a website-based quote request workflow, LinkedIn presence, and newsletter communications.

Recent strategic activity includes a $44 million acquisition of two feeder-size PCTCs from Global Car Carriers in July 2026, the launch of weekly North Europe–Norway service in January 2025, the introduction of the 4,900 CEU Polaris Mila and a new Mediterranean corridor in March 2026, and the opening of new inland branches in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Belgium. The company is family-led, with Walid Salloum serving as Chairman and Marius Toft as CEO, and discloses no external institutional investment.

Name

Polaris Autoliners Limited

Legal name

Polaris Autoliners Ltd.

Website

https://polarisautoliners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Polaris Autoliners is a London-based RoRo ocean shipping operator transporting vehicles and project cargo for major automotive OEMs and logistics providers, operating 10 controlled vessels and an integrated European inland network of 230+ trucks across 7 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vehicle Shipping Logistics

NAICS

Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311)

SIC

Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Finished Vehicle Ocean RoRo & Deep-Sea Vehicle Carriers (TLADAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Finished Vehicle Inland Waterway/Short-Sea RoRo Transport (TLADAJAD), Ro-Ro / Pure Car & Truck Carrier (PCTC) Operators (TLADABAH)

Keywords

• Roll-on/roll-off shipping
• Automotive ocean freight
• RoRo vessel chartering
• Vehicle logistics services
• Deep sea transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ocean Transportation Services: Deep sea and short-sea RoRo shipping services for vehicles and automotive cargo, operating controlled fleet of owned and chartered vessels.
2. Automotive Logistics Services: Integrated inland transportation and storage solutions through Polaris Logistics, including truck transport, warehousing, and distribution services across Europe.
3. Dry Bulk Freight Solutions: Strategic freight solutions for dry bulk cargo through Polaris Bulkers, including market-timed deployments, FFAs, and COAs with asset-light model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Polaris Autoliners provides Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ocean shipping and logistics services for vehicles, heavy machinery, project cargo, and high & heavy equipment. The company operates a controlled fleet of owned and chartered Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) vessels for deep-sea and short-sea transportation across Scandinavia, Mediterranean, North Europe-Turkey, and Asia-Oceania corridors. Services are sold through direct enterprise engagement and online quote requests to automotive OEMs and logistics providers globally.

Product overview

Polaris Group operates as a unified platform combining three core businesses: Polaris Autoliners (ocean transportation of vehicles via Roll-on/Roll-off vessels), Polaris Logistics (inland trucking, terminals and distribution services), and Polaris Bulkers (dry bulk freight solutions). The company transports over 650,000 vehicles annually across a controlled fleet of 10 vessels (5 owned, 5 chartered), 230+ trucks, and 4 inland terminals spanning 7 countries. The Polaris Autoliners division specializes in Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTC) for deep-sea and short-sea routes, while Polaris Logistics provides end-to-end inland distribution and Polaris Bulkers offers strategic freight solutions with FFA and COA instruments for dry bulk commodities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Polaris Autoliners RoRo Shipping Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ocean transportation services for vehicles, operating deep-sea and short-sea routes globally for automotive manufacturers and logistics providers.
• Deep Sea Transportation Long-distance ocean transportation of vehicles through deep-sea routes, enabling global shipping between continents with strategic partnerships and coordinated logistics.
• Short Sea Distribution Regional and coastal cargo transportation via an established Feeder Network, optimizing routes for efficient delivery to various coastal and regional locations with reduced transit times.
• European Shipping Routes Multi-region shipping network covering Scandinavia, Mediterranean, Med-North Continent, and Asia-Oceania routes with port calls across Europe, North Africa, Turkey, and Australia/New Zealand.

Quantifiable outcome

• 650,000+ vehicles transported in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Salloum LogisticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSalloum Logistics (now renamed Polaris Logistics) operates as the inland services division of Polaris Group. This sister company provides comprehensive trucking, warehousing, and distribution services across Europe, complementing Polaris Autoliners' ocean shipping operations to create integrated end-to-end logistics solutions.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United European Car Carriers (UECC): European-focused short-sea RoRo operator owned by Nippon Yusen and Wallenius Wilhelmsen. Direct competitor to Polaris's short-sea distribution and feeder network services in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.
• Sallaum Lines: Pure-car carrier operator with PCTC vessels serving automotive OEMs globally. Closely comparable in business model to Polaris Autoliners, focusing exclusively on vehicle ocean transport.
• Hyundai Glovis: Korean logistics arm of Hyundai Motor Group operating a large fleet of PCTC vessels. Directly comparable deep-sea vehicle carrier competing for OEM contracts on similar Asia-Europe and intra-Europe routes.
• Wallenius Wilhelmsen: Global RoRo and vehicle logistics leader operating 130+ vessels and extensive inland terminals. Competes directly with Polaris in Europe and globally, with similar integrated ocean-and-land offerings.
• Höegh Autoliners: Pure-play global RoRo and PCTC operator with the largest pure-car-carrier fleet outside the global Japanese majors. Direct competitor to Polaris Autoliners in deep-sea and short-sea vehicle shipping, serving the same OEM customer base.

Broad incumbents

• NYK Line (Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha): Japanese shipping major with a significant PCTC division operating deep-sea vehicle transport worldwide. A scaled global competitor to Polaris, particularly on Asia-Europe and transpacific lanes.
• Grimaldi Group: Italian shipping group with significant RoRo and vehicle transport capabilities across Europe and the Mediterranean. Overlaps with Polaris's Mediterranean and North Europe-Turkey routes.
• Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL): Major Japanese shipping group with sizable PCTC operations serving global automotive OEMs. Competes with Polaris on deep-sea vehicle routes and on European short-sea services.
• K Line (Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha): Japanese shipping major with a long-standing PCTC business. Operates deep-sea and short-sea vehicle shipping services overlapping with Polaris's European and Asia-Oceania corridors.

Emerging players

• Antong Holdings (QASC): Chinese RoRo carrier expanding international PCTC operations from a strong domestic base. Emerging competitor to Polaris on Asia-Europe vehicle shipping corridors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/polaris-autoliners

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Polaris Autoliners Limited