APM Terminals takes full stake in Grup Maritim

OCT 16, 2015: APM Terminals announces the agreement to purchase the remaining 39 percent shareholder of Grup Maritim TCB. On 8 September 2015, APM Terminals announced the agreement with Perez y Cia to acquire their majority share (61 percent) in Grup Maritim TCB. As a result, APM Terminals has agreed to acquire 100 percent of the issued shares and to become the sole controlling shareholder of Grup Maritim TCB. The implied enterprise value of the transaction is approximately $1 billion with expected capex investments of $400 mill over the next 5 years, subject to market conditions. In the short term, the acquisition will be ROIC dilutive due to ongoing investments in Guatemala and other growth markets.

APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer said, “This 100 percent share agreement reflects a major milestone in paving the way for closing this deal and expanding our competitive offerings for our clients. The complementary expertise and market geography of the Grup Maritim TCB portfolio will enable us to bring more value to our clients, achieve our growth ambitions and further diversify our global portfolio.”

Grup Maritim TCB has 11 container terminals with an annual throughput capacity of 4.3 million TEUs and an estimated annual container volume of 3.5 million TEUs. The portfolio consists of Spanish container terminal concessions in Barcelona, Valencia and Castellon, on the Mediterranean coast, along with the concessions in Gijon, on the Bay of Biscay, and in the Canary Islands: Santa Cruz on Tenerife and Santa Cruz on La Palma. Outside of Spain, Grup Maritim TCB’s terminal operations include Izmir, Turkey; Yucatan, Mexico; Quetzal, Guatemala (under construction, opening 2016); Buenaventura, Colombia, on the Pacific Coast; and Paranagua, Brazil.

The acquisition of Grup Maritim TCB presents multiple opportunities for future growth as well as synergies that are unique to APM Terminals. The acquisition will help APM Terminals establish a stronghold in Spain at a time when market recovery is expected, strengthen its position in high growth markets of Latin America, provide access to a new, experienced talent pool, facilitate knowledge transfer between the two organizations, and generate immediate positive P&L and cash flow contributions.

Joe Nicklaus Nielsen, APM Terminals vice president and global head of container Port Business Development added”We have a clear plan to grow our business for the future and invest in competitive advantages. Today’s news is an important step along the way and we look forward to welcoming the Grup Maritim TCB family to APM Terminals when the deal closes.”