Singapore: Miclyn Express Offshore has bought 50% of the shares in Uniwise Towage from Svitzer Asia, a subsidiary of A.P. Moller-Maersk Group. Headquartered in Thailand, UWT operates a fleet of five marine support vessels (MSVs) and utility vessels supporting tanker lifting, static tow, drilling rig activities, anchor handling, SPM maintenance, floating hose maintenance, cargo transportation, stand-by, fire-fighting and oil spill response. The vessels are all chartered long term to oil companies in Thailand. The business has been operating since 1999 as a joint venture between Svitzer and the Unithai Group, MEO’s existing joint venture partner in Uniwise Offshore. MEO has agreed to purchase all of Svitzer’s shares in UWT for a consideration of $18.9m.
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MEO ceo, Diederik de Boer, said: “This acquisition is a natural extension of the position we have built up in Thailand in offshore vessel support services. We are very comfortable with our joint venture partners having worked with them for a number of years. The integration of UWO and UWT will be seamless given that the two businesses already share office space and resources. We look forward to developing this new venture and working with our customers in Thailand to continue to uncover new opportunities for growth through delivery of operational excellence.† [29/10/13]
