Northline has reported a 70 per cent increase in international freight business over the past 12 months, cementing the Adelaide-based operator’s transformation from a domestic freight specialist into a global logistics provider. The growth has been underpinned by an expanding network of more than 560 international partners across 130-plus countries through the Pangea Logistics Network.
Growth Drivers
The surge in international volumes reflects a deliberate strategy by Northline to leverage its domestic freight infrastructure as a gateway for Australian businesses trading globally. Through the Pangea Network — an international logistics alliance that connects independent freight forwarders in a cooperative model — Northline can offer end-to-end supply chain services from Australian factory floors to destinations worldwide, covering ocean, air, road, and rail modes.
CEO Craige Whitton has pointed to several factors driving the growth: increasing demand from Australian manufacturers and primary producers seeking reliable export logistics, growth in inbound freight from international suppliers, and the company’s investment in digital tools that make international shipping more accessible to mid-market businesses.
Service Offering
Northline’s international freight management division covers the full spectrum of global logistics: ocean freight (FCL and LCL), air freight, customs brokerage, documentation, insurance, and project cargo management. The division operates from Northline’s new $16 million National Service Centre in Kent Town, Adelaide, which opened in February 2025 to accommodate the expanding international team.
The company’s International Freight Customer Portal, launched in early 2024, gives customers digital visibility over their global shipments — from departure times and documentation to invoicing and delivery notifications — reducing the manual coordination that traditionally characterises international freight management.
Market Position
The 70 per cent growth figure is notable in a year when global shipping has faced persistent disruption. Ongoing Red Sea diversions, tariff uncertainty from shifting US trade policy, and port congestion in northern Europe have created a freight environment where reliability and flexibility matter more than ever.
For an Australian-owned operator founded in 1983 to service remote northern communities, the international expansion represents a significant evolution. Northline now competes not just with domestic carriers but with global freight forwarders, offering a point of differentiation through its deep Australian domestic network — something that purely international forwarders typically cannot match.
The combination of domestic reach across remote and regional Australia with global forwarding capability positions Northline uniquely for businesses that need both inbound international supply chain management and domestic distribution to dispersed Australian locations.