Danish shipping and logistics group DFDS has acquired Turkey’s largest operator of ro-ro freight ships and will be a major player in the in the strong and continuously growing trade between the EU and Turkey.
U.N. Ro-Ro operates five routes connecting Italy and France with Turkey, 12 ships and port terminals in Trieste and in Pendik, Istanbul.
The company currently employs 500 people.
The deal is subject to approval by the authorities.
DFDS signed an agreement to acquire 98.8 per cent of the shares in the shipping company from Turkish private equity companies Actera and Esas for a price of €950 million.
The company is Turkey’s largest operator of ro-ro freight ships, and a strong addition to DFDS’ large shipping network in the Baltic Sea, North Sea and the English Channel.
In the Mediterranean, DFDS is today represented by a route between France and Tunisia.
U.N. Ro-Ro operates five major routes between Turkey and the EU, connecting the Turkish ports of Pendik, Ambarli and Mersin with Trieste and Bari in Italy, Toulon in France and Patras in Greece.
The company operates and owns a fleet of 12 large ships and operates port terminals in Pendik, Istanbul, and Trieste in Italy.
“Turkey’s economy is among the world’s 18th largest.
“Trade with the EU is extremely dynamic.
“Since U.N. Ro-Ro was founded in 1994, seaborne trade has continued to take market shares from road transport where congestion, border controls and customs formalities hinder the flow.
“Today, 55 per cent of the trade is seaborne – and the share continues to grow, benefitting not least U.N. Ro-Ro, which is the major operator in this market,” said Niels Smedegaard, president of DFDS.