Back to the complete issue
Sunday, 3 July 2022

And the GCC investments keep rolling on…

ADP Group grabs majority stake in major local cargo firm: Abu Dhabi Ports (ADP) has reached an agreement to acquire a 70% stake in local shipping and logistics firm International Associated Cargo Carrier (IACC) for AED 514 mn (USD 140 mn), according to a press release by the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office.

This is ADP’s first international acquisition in its history and will be funded from the company’s reserves, which currently stand at more than AED 3 bn (USD 816.7 mn), it said.

Who’s who: IACC Holdings, owned by the El Ahwal family, is an investment company that focuses on shipping and logistics. It is the sole owner of Egypt-based shipping firm Transmar and terminal operator Transcargo International (TCI), and also owns two other shipping companies, Safina and IACC Logistics, according to its website. Transmar operates across the Middle East, Red Sea, Arabian Gulf and Eastern Coast of Africa and handled around 109k TEUs last year, according to the statement. TCI’s focus is container operations at Adabiya Port, and handled around 92.5k TEUs and some 1.2 mn tons of bulk cargoes in 2021.

No management changes: The El Ahwal family and its executive team will remain in management of both Transmar and TCI, the statement said.

Advisors: KPMG LG acted as the financial advisor to ADP, while PwC acted as the buyer’s commercial advisor and Matouk Bassiouny and Hennawy as its legal advisor. Transmar and TCI had EFG Hermes acting as the exclusive financial advisor and White & Case as the legal advisor.

ADP is no stranger to our ports: In May, ADP signed contracts to build and run a multi-purpose terminal in Safaga Port as part of a joint venture with the Red Sea Ports Authority and the Transport Ministry’s commercial arm, and cruise ship berths and terminals in the Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada and Safaga ports. ADP in March signed agreements with the Transport Ministry to manage and operate a multi-purpose terminal in Ain Sokhna port and a river port in Minya Governorate.

And the UAE is investing big in Egypt right now: ADP is majority owned by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ, which bought 32% of Alexandria Container & Cargo Handling as part of its USD 1.8 bn investment in five local state-owned and private firms in April.

Enterprise is a daily publication of Enterprise Ventures LLC, an Egyptian limited liability company (commercial register 83594), and a subsidiary of Inktank Communications. Summaries are intended for guidance only and are provided on an as-is basis; kindly refer to the source article in its original language prior to undertaking any action. Neither Enterprise Ventures nor its staff assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, whether in the form of summaries or analysis. © 2022 Enterprise Ventures LLC.

Enterprise is available without charge thanks to the generous support of HSBC Egypt (tax ID: 204-901-715), the leading corporate and retail lender in Egypt; EFG Hermes (tax ID: 200-178-385), the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets; SODIC (tax ID: 212-168-002), a leading Egyptian real estate developer; SomaBay (tax ID: 204-903-300), our Red Sea holiday partner; Infinity (tax ID: 474-939-359), the ultimate way to power cities, industries, and homes directly from nature right here in Egypt; CIRA (tax ID: 200-069-608), the leading providers of K-12 and higher level education in Egypt; Orascom Construction (tax ID: 229-988-806), the leading construction and engineering company building infrastructure in Egypt and abroad; Moharram & Partners (tax ID: 616-112-459), the leading public policy and government affairs partner; Palm Hills Developments (tax ID: 432-737-014), a leading developer of commercial and residential properties; Mashreq (tax ID: 204-898-862), the MENA region’s leading homegrown personal and digital bank; Industrial Development Group (IDG) (tax ID:266-965-253), the leading builder of industrial parks in Egypt; Hassan Allam Properties (tax ID:  553-096-567), one of Egypt’s most prominent and leading builders; and Saleh, Barsoum & Abdel Aziz (tax ID: 220-002-827), the leading audit, tax and accounting firm in Egypt.