Maersk's investment arm buys into 50+ terminals via Portek and Euroports deals

A.P. Moller Capital has agreed to take control of a network of more than 50 deep-sea and inland terminals, through two deals signed sixteen days apart and announced without a price tag.

The infrastructure investment manager, a sister company to Danish liner operator Maersk, agreed on October 15 to acquire 100% of Singapore-based Portek International from Japan's Mitsui & Co. That follows a September 28 agreement to buy a majority stake in Euroports, a European bulk and breakbulk operator, through a separately managed investment vehicle. Financial terms were not disclosed for either transaction. Both remain subject to closing conditions and approvals.

What does the Euroports stake bring?

Euroports runs more than 50 deep-sea and inland terminals across 10 European countries and China. The business handles over 70 million metric tons of cargo every year — roughly the annual grain export volume of a mid-sized agricultural exporter — moving through the bulk and breakbulk supply chains that serve agriculture, manufacturing and other industries.

Its network includes operations at Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium, Rostock in Germany, Venice in Italy, and Port-la-Nouvelle in France. Belgian investment institutions SFPIM and PMV will remain shareholders after the deal closes.

The incoming owners plan to back management's expansion of the company's activities, geographic footprint and customer base, while keeping the existing governance framework and strategic direction intact. In plain terms: same management, more capital, wider reach.

CEO Kim Fejfer framed the deal in geopolitical terms. "In a changing world, resilient supply chains and secure trade flows are increasingly essential to economic stability and growth," he said when announcing the Euroports agreement. He described the company's infrastructure as underpinning European industry, food systems and manufacturing.

What does Portek add?

Portek brings interests in seven terminals spread across Africa, Asia and Europe — Algeria, Gabon, Indonesia, Latvia, Malta and Vietnam — plus port engineering and maintenance services. The portfolio covers container, vehicle and multipurpose cargo operations.

The deal was struck through A.P. Moller Capital's Emerging Markets Infrastructure Fund II. Partner Semih Gokmen said: "Portek is a strong fit with our investment strategy and active owner philosophy. It is an established business with a diversified portfolio of port operations serving important trade flows across three continents, supported by experienced local operating teams."

The two acquisitions follow A.P. Moller Capital's investment in Spanish port and logistics operator Berge, extending a portfolio the firm has assembled through stakes in established operating companies rather than greenfield bets.

Where does this sit alongside Maersk's own ports arm?

The group's main U.S. port interests run through Maersk's APM Terminals, which operates four container terminals in the United States: Los Angeles, Elizabeth in New Jersey, Mobile in Alabama, and Miami. APM Terminals has also committed an initial $500 million to the development at Louisiana Gateway Port.

The new deals sit outside APM Terminals, in separately managed investment vehicles. Still, they deepen the broader A.P. Moller group's grip on the physical infrastructure behind global trade — from container quays to the bulk terminals that feed Europe's factories and food systems.

What does this change for shippers and carriers?

In the near term, very little changes on the dock. Euroports keeps its management and strategy; Portek keeps its local operating teams. The commercial significance is longer-dated: a well-capitalised owner with an explicit expansion mandate now sits behind more than 60 terminals worldwide, with capital available to grow throughput capacity, extend geographic reach and widen the customer base.

For bulk and breakbulk shippers in agriculture and manufacturing, that signals continued investment in the handling chains they depend on. For competitors in terminal operations, it means a deeper-pocketed rival with a stated appetite for further acquisitions in essential trade infrastructure.

With both deals still awaiting closing conditions and regulatory approvals, the real test comes in how quickly the new owners convert balance-sheet ambition into concrete capacity additions across the combined network.