Boluda Shipping Group (Boluda) has engaged in the merger of two major shipping businesses in Europe by signing an agreement to purchase Samskip, a multimodal operator based in the Netherlands. This agreement includes 32 vessels and 18 maritime routes, which will help create an extensive shipping network from Northern Europe to the Iberian Peninsula, the Canary Islands, and West Africa.
Details of the Agreement and Its Scope
Boluda has announced that this merger will combine its container shipping network with Samskip's Northern Europe operations, facilitating connections between 28 countries in Northern Europe and other regions. This operation will include 21 maritime terminals, five rail terminals, and over 500 trucks owned by the company, with expectations that the annual container handling capacity will exceed 750,000 TEU.
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The finalization date of this agreement has been postponed to January 1, 2027, subject to legal approvals and standard conditions. The financial details of the agreement have not yet been disclosed. However, this merger allows Boluda to develop its expanded network as a significant hub in Rotterdam and leverage its existing operations in the region.
Background and Previous Collaborations
Boluda and Samskip have previously collaborated in shipping services in Spain. Additionally, this agreement comes after Samskip reached a deal last February to sell its transportation operations in the UK and Ireland to Luxembourg-based company CLdN. This transaction relates to container services connecting Rotterdam to several British and Irish ports.
Despite these changes, the Samskip brand will be retained, and Ólafur Orri Ólafsson will remain as the CEO. In recent years, Boluda has been consistently expanding through acquisitions and port investments. Last year, the Spanish group signed an agreement to purchase Boskalis's towing operations in Australia and Papua New Guinea for $640 million, and earlier this year, its terminal division secured a 16-year contract for a multipurpose terminal in Barcelona.
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