AD Ports Group has completed the largest acquisition in its history — an AED 3.1 billion (USD 835 million) deal for Brazil's biggest independent agri-bulk port terminal operator, Corredor Logística e Infraestrutura (CLI). The financial closing, confirmed by the Abu Dhabi-based group, marks its first strategic entry into South America.

The transaction, first announced on 2 June 2026, closed after AD Ports Group cleared Brazil's dual regulatory gate: approvals from the National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) and the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE). Sellers were funds managed by Macquarie Asset Management and IG4 Capital. CLI now sits inside Noatum Ports, the group's international ports operating arm.

What does the deal actually cover?

CLI operates two agri-bulk export terminals under long-term concessions, both positioned on Brazil's most consequential agricultural export corridors:

• CLI Sul, at the Port of Santos — a leading sugar export terminal that also handles corn and soybeans.
• CLI Norte, at the Port of Itaqui — part of Brazil's "Arc of the North", a logistics corridor of critical importance for northern agricultural exports.

Together the two terminals connect Brazil's major producing regions with global markets, and they now anchor AD Ports Group's expanding agrifoods platform.

Why it matters commercially

For AD Ports Group, the purchase extends a portfolio that already spans ports, maritime and shipping, logistics, economic cities and digital trade services. The group said the acquisition creates opportunities to link Brazilian export flows into that network, opening new trade lanes between South America and the Indian Subcontinent, East Africa and Southeast Asia.

The most concrete plan: new trade routes directly connecting Brazil with Khalifa Port and the Abu Dhabi Food Hub in KEZAD, the region's largest food hub, moving Brazilian agricultural commodities into regional and international markets. That positions the group to capture downstream value on Gulf-bound agri-flows rather than simply owning the origin terminal.

What the principals said

Mohammed Al Tamimi, Chief Executive Officer of Noatum Ports – AD Ports Group, said: "The formal completion of the CLI acquisition marks an important development in AD Ports Group's international growth and strengthens our presence in one of the world's most important agricultural export markets." He added that the group is "committed to quickly integrating CLI into our existing global operations, to further expand the range and relevance of our portfolio of global end-to-end trade solutions."

Fernando Lohmann, Head of Macquarie Asset Management in Brazil, credited the asset's foundations: "CLI has delivered strong growth and built a highly competitive position in Brazil's port and logistics market, supported by strategic assets, operational scale and a resilient customer base." He said AD Ports Group is "well positioned to build on that platform."

Paulo Todescan L. Mattos, Co-Founder, Managing Partner, Chair and Co-CIO of IG4 Capital Group, said: "CLI has evolved into an important supply chain provider supporting Brazil's export and import markets with a strong operating platform. We are proud of the progress achieved in transforming CLI and believe AD Ports Group is well placed to support CLI's continued development and long-term growth."

The bigger picture

The exit hands Macquarie and IG4 Capital a clean close on an asset they built into a scaled operator in sugar, corn and soybean handling — and hands AD Ports Group origin-side capacity in the world's most important agricultural export market by volume.

For shippers and forwarders moving agri-bulk out of Santos and Itaqui, the immediate operational picture is continuity under a new owner; the strategic question is how quickly Noatum ports integrates CLI into end-to-end corridors toward the Gulf. Expect integration milestones and the first Brazil–Khalifa Port routings to be the markers to watch in the months ahead.