ContainersEurope

TransAtlantic sells container operations and shipmanagement division

Ongoing consolidation among smaller liners continues with news TransAtlantic, a subsidiary of Sweden’s Viking Supply Ships, is selling its container operations to X-Press Feeders for EUR3.1m ($3.34m).

The container operations to be sold consist of TransFeeder North Line, TransBothnia Container Line and TransFeeder South Line, including the forwarding business and 15 onshore employees. The annual turnover of these businesses is approximately SEK420m ($48.26m) amounting to annual container volumes of around 105,000 teu. The transaction is expected to close at the beginning of December. X-Press Feeders will continue to conduct the business under the brand TransAtlantic Container.

“We believe that X-Press Feeders is ideally positioned to take the strong market position of the container operations forward. With a global reach they will have the capability to develop the logistic solutions further to follow the customers’ future needs, where scale is increasingly important, “said Heléne Mellquist, ceo of TransAtlantic.

Privately held X-Press Feeders is the largest independent common carrier of containers in the world, providing a wide geographic coverage. The fleet of over 70 chartered and 21 owned vessels operates from all the major global transhipment hubs. It has an annual throughput in excess of 4m teu.

“X-Press Feeders is pleased to have come across such an experienced team in these specialist trades, who will bring much knowledge of the Scandinavian region and the customer requirements, and will help deliver further anticipated network growth together”, said Tristan Howitt, ceo of X-Press Feeders.

TransAtlantic has also reached an agreement to sell its shipmanagement business to AtoB@C. The shipmanagement operations, TransAtlantic Ship Management, consist of 16 onshore and 230 offshore employees. The annual revenue is about SEK17m.

“The purchase price is at market terms and the transaction is expected to be closed in the beginning of December,” TransAtlantic said in a release. The operation will remain in Gothenburg and be renamed GoTa Ship Management.

AtoB@C Shipping is a privately owned shipowning company founded in 2000. The head office is in Ystad, Sweden. The company operates a fleet of 30 ice classed, multipurpose vessels operating in Europe.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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