6.6.4.4Vertical

Stevedoring & Cargo Handling

Companies providing dock labor and cargo handling at ports.

Market snapshot

These figures describe Port & Marine Terminal Operations (6.6.4), the segment that Stevedoring & Cargo Handling sits within. They are not figures for Stevedoring & Cargo Handling on its own.

Market size
~$18B
Growth
~3.8%CAGR (2017–22, nominal)
Companies
~1,207 firms
Firms by employee count

72.4% of firms have fewer than 20 employees: 874 micro-businesses, below most mandates.

The investable universe333 firms with 20+ employees
20–99
15145%
100–499
8526%
500+
9729%

Concentrated by geography in a way little else is, because a terminal operator's franchise is the berth it controls, and there are only so many. Volumes are hostage to trade policy and routing, but the position is close to unassailable once held, which is why these assets trade rarely and richly.

NAICS 488310, 488320, 488390. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Statistics of U.S. Businesses; U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census.

Business model & economics

Revenue model

Terminal operations, cargo handling, and stevedoring fees

Key economics

Revenue per firm
$14,643,801
Revenue per employee
$279,536
Employees per firm
74.4
Recurring revenue
Moderate–High

recurring trade-volume-driven operations

EBITDA margin
Throughput- and concession-driven
Capex intensity
High

Characteristics

  • Balanced cost base: payroll is 26% of revenue, leaving room to scale margin without cutting staff
  • Moderate strategic-buyer pool: 97 firms exceed 500 employees, so a scaled asset has buyers, but not many
  • Cargo handling, terminals, and navigational services.
  • Global trade and containerization drive demand.
  • Automation and capacity expansion key themes.

NAICS 488310, 488320, 488390. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Statistics of U.S. Businesses; U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census.

Geographic concentration

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaColoradoGeorgiaIndianaKansasMaineMassachusettsMinnesotaNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth DakotaTexasWyomingConnecticutMissouriWest VirginiaIllinoisNew MexicoArkansasCaliforniaDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaHawaiiIowaKentuckyMarylandMichiganMississippiMontanaNew HampshireNew YorkOhioOregonTennesseeUtahVirginiaWashingtonWisconsinNebraskaSouth CarolinaIdahoNevadaVermontRhode IslandFloridaNew JerseyLouisiana

Louisiana at nearly eight times the national concentration reflects the Mississippi River system, where the lower river carries more terminal operators than any coastal gateway; Florida and New Jersey follow on container and cruise traffic.

LouisianaFloridaNew Jersey

U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Statistics of U.S. Businesses (firms by state), NAICS 488310/488320/488390. Concentration shown by location quotient.

M&A deal context

Deal activityModerate

Who’s acquiring

  • Global terminal operators
  • Infrastructure funds & concessionaires
  • Port-services consolidators

What’s driving deals

  • Trade-volume and containerization growth.
  • Terminal automation and capacity expansion.
  • Concession and infrastructure investment.

Find Stevedoring & Cargo Handling acquisition targets

Search Acquisera’s index for companies classified under Stevedoring & Cargo Handling (6.6.4.4) and build a targeted deal pipeline.

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