Archives
Feature, Freight News, Sea
DP World to buy Unifeeder
[ August 13, 2018 // Chris ]Port and terminal operator DP World has acquired 100% of shortsea shipping operator Unifeeder Group for €660 million from Nordic Capital Fund and minority shareholders. Based in Aarhus (Denmark), Unifeeder operates the largest and most densely connected common user container feeder and a growing shortsea network in Europe, serving both deep-sea container hubs and the intra-Europe container freight market.
The purchase is subject to regulatory approval.
DP World says that Unifeeder’s operations will complement its existing business and will provide future growth opportunities.
Unifeeder, founded in 1977, currently serves about 100 ports in northern Europe. In the UK, it offers services between Rotterdam and Felixstowe, Immingham, Teesport, South Shields and Grangemouth and recently announced that it would introduce direct sailings between Antwerp and Dunkerque to Teesport and Grangemouth from 15 August.
DP World group chairman and chief executive Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, said: “The ever-growing deployment of ultra-large container vessels has made high-quality connectivity from hub terminals crucial for our customers and Unifeeder is a best-in-class logistics provider in this space with a strong reputation in Europe. Our aim is to leverage on the in-house expertise of Unifeeder and to accelerate growth in this scalable platform to deliver value for all stakeholders. Unifeeder operates on the same common-user principle as DP World and adds to the Group’s strong value proposition.”
Unifeeder chief executive, Jesper Kristensen, added: “Not only is there commonality with our business models but we also share the vision of serving our customers through removing inefficiencies and delivering sustainable shareholder value. We have enjoyed great success over the last five years under Nordic Capital’s ownership, and we believe that the Unifeeder brand within the DP World Group has the opportunity to accelerate growth, expand further and take the business to the next level.”
