MSC Eyeing Stake in Ignazio Messina
Image Courtesy: MSCSwiss-based container shipping major Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has revealed intentions to acquire a stake in Italian shipping company Messina.
The announcement was made following a meeting between the duo on Friday in Genoa, Italy, which MSC said it went “in a climate of strong and shared collaboration”.
As reported the meeting is said to have included participation from lender Banca Carige, which is expected to facilitate the reaching of the deal.
“The aim of the meeting was the possibility of an entry by MSC Group into the shareholding of the Genoa-based group in connection with the potential synergies between the two companies’ respective core businesses,” MSC told World Maritime News in an emailed statement.
“MSC Group and Gruppo Messina, thanks to the availability shown by Banca Carige, will continue their dialogue with the objective to reach an agreement between them,” the statement further reads.
Ignazio Messina’s fleet consists of eight owned specialized ro-ro container vessels, in addition to some lo-lo and ro-ro vessels on charter, the company’s website info shows.
The reported move comes as major container shipping players push to consolidate their ranks as a way to combat market downturn and overcapacity.
In December, Danish Maersk Line A/S, and the Oetker Group reached a deal for Maersk Line to acquire the German container shipping line Hamburg Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft KG (Hamburg Süd).
World Maritime News Staff
