UCL Port B.V. closes deal to sell 20% stake in SP Container Terminal Ltd
UCL Port B.V. (owner of stevedoring division of UCL Holding) has completed a deal to sell a 20-percent stake in SP Container Terminal Limited, the sole shareholder of CJSC Container Terminal Saint Petersburg of the Dutch company Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), UCL Holding press releases said.
"The deal is the first step in a long-term strategic partnership between the two companies. The experience of TIL in the management of container terminals around the world and a strategic partnership with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) will help UCL Port to attract additional traffic flows and improve the efficiency of construction and operation of a new container terminal at Big Port St. Petersburg," the press release said.
UCL Holding is the international transportation group, comprising several major rail service providers operating on the territory of Russia, CIS countries and Europe, stevedoring companies of the North-West and South of the country, as well as Volga Shipping, North-Western Shipping and Western Shipping, several shipping and logistics assets in Russia and abroad. The companies of UCL Holding are incorporated in three main divisions – a stevedoring division UCL Port, a railway - UCL Rail and a shipping - VBTH.
UCL Port consolidates stevedoring companies of the Group: JSC Sea Port St. Petersburg, JSC Container Terminal Saint Petersburg, Universal Handling Terminal based in North-West of Russia, and Tuapse and Taganrog ports in the South.
Bergen op Zoom-headquartered (Netherlands) Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) was registered in 2000 to manage container terminals. Currently, TIL has the sixth largest portfolio of terminals in the world, managing more than 20 assets in 15 countries on five continents. In 2001, container terminals of TIL handled about 23 million TEUs. The company is also engaged in the construction of six new terminals.
Container Terminal St. Petersburg is a new facility for handling containers at the Fourth Cargo Area of Big Port St. Petersburg encompassing 32 hectares and capacity of 500,000 TEUs. The terminal specializes in handling all types of containerized imports / exports, including reefer containers. The terminal’s second phase will begin in 2012, which will increase its capacity to 1.2 million TEUs.