New Operator for Container, Heavy Lift Freight and Project Cargo Services

WEST AFRICA – EUROPE – Well known Maersk subsidiary Safmarine MPV, West Africa multi-purpose vessel (MPV) specialist, has divested itself of its Europe to West Africa services and operations which have been acquired by Rotterdam headquartered NileDutch. The MPV operations accommodate the full range of cargoes, including containers, breakbulk, neo-bulk, project modules and oil and gas-related cargoes. The multipurpose vessels of NileDutch are equipped with cranes capable of loading, carrying and offloading commodities in bulk, project cargo, heavy lift and containers to the most challenging destinations in West Africa.

The acquisition complements and expands the service offering of NileDutch to customers of containerised, oil & gas, project and conventional cargo enabling the carriage of a mix of freight on the same vessel under a single bill of lading. NileDutch COO Jan Willem de Braal commented:

“The extension of our service offering delivered by this transaction will enable NileDutch to enhance its operational competiveness in global shipping. With so many infrastructure projects underway in especially West Africa, this multipurpose offering gives NileDutch a real edge and will allow us to seize more business opportunities in the fields of energy equipment, infrastructure, mining and agriculture. By bringing together the know-how of both teams, we will be even better positioned to provide premium services to our customers across all markets.”

In December last year Safmarine MPV sold off five general cargo vessels each around 18,000 dwt each bearing 80 tonne lift cranes and scheduled for disposal by this month but commented at the time this did not mean a reduction in services and that chartered MPV’s were a better fit for the business. This week Jorg Knuttel, Managing Director of Safmarine MPV commented:

“Following the divestment of Safmarine MPVs owned vessels in 2015, today’s agreement marks the complete divestment of Safmarine MPV, which was announced in the Maersk Group 2015 Annual Report. For years Safmarine MPV has demonstrated that breakbulk and containers is a strong combination, hence this acquisition is a natural fit. NileDutch and Safmarine MPV are both West Africa specialists with great heritage and strong focus on customer service and personal relationships. As a result, I am happy that our operations will continue as part of NileDutch.”