DFDS Completes Acquisition of U.N. Ro-Ro
Danish shipping and logistics group DFDS has completed the acquisition of Turkey’s largest operator of Ro-Ro freight ships and will be a major player in the strong and continuously growing trade between the EU and Turkey.
In April, DFDS signed an agreement with the owners of U.N. Ro-Ro to acquire the shares in the company, said a press release from the company.
“All relevant authorities have now approved the transaction and I am very pleased to announce that on 7 June we completed the deal. U.N. Ro-Ro and its strong Mediterranean shipping network are now part of DFDS,” says Niels Smedegaard, CEO & President of DFDS.
U.N. Ro-Ro operates five freight ferry routes connecting Turkey with Trieste in Italy and Toulon in France with 12 freight ferries and its own port terminals in Istanbul and Trieste. In Europe, the company also offers intermodal solutions to and from other European markets. The company has an annual revenue of EUR 240 million and 500 employees.
“Trade between the EU and Turkey has been booming for a long time and the future prospects are very encouraging for seaborne transportation, which bypasses border controls and road congestion in several countries. Together, we will be able to offer our customers a unique service. U.N. Ro-Ro is strong in the Turkish and Mediterranean markets, whereas DFDS has a very efficient network in northern Europe. With efficient road and intermodal networks to combine the two areas, we will be able to support exporters and transporters to an even greater scale than before. This will be for the benefit of growing trade and employment in Turkey as well as in the EU,” says Niels Smedegaard.
“With the 12 ships from U.N. Ro-Ro and the 50 ships from DFDS, including orders for new, very large ro-ro vessels, we have a unique flexibility in our fleet to offer competitive transportation of ever-growing volumes of export cargo on the Mediterranean Sea as well as in Europe’s northern region,” he says.
U.N. Ro-Ro is managed by a very competent and experienced management team that will continue to manage operations under the leadership of Selçuk Boztepe, CEO of U.N. Ro-Ro and now Head of a new Mediterranean business unit in DFDS’ Shipping Division. He says: “Soon, we will add the Greek port of Patras to our network between Italy and Turkey. Our aim is to be a key player in the sea transport sector in the North Africa, Black Sea and Middle East regions.
“We are now ready to start the integration of U.N. Ro-Ro into DFDS in close co-operation with our new colleagues. The joint planning process has confirmed our excitement and belief in joining our networks to provide new opportunities for, not least, customers and employees,” says Niels Smedegaard.
