Vopak announces that it has reached an agreement with Infracapital on the sale of its three chemical terminals in Rotterdam (Botlek, TTR and Chemiehaven) for a total purchase price of EUR 407 million including a conditional deferred payment of EUR 19.5 million. Total expected cash receipt net of transaction costs and net debt items at closing is around EUR 368 million. This divestment follows the strategic review as announced on 15 February 2023. The combined operational capacity of the three terminals is 1.4 million cbm.
Infracapital, the infrastructure equity investment arm of M&G Plc, is a specialist European infrastructure investor with over 20 years of experience and a proven track record of owning infrastructure assets in the Netherlands.
The transaction is subject to works council consultation and customary closing conditions and is expected to close before year end.
Vopak expects to partially reverse the cash generating unit impairment charges, recorded in 2022 related to the divested terminal assets, for an amount of around EUR 54 million to be reported as an exceptional item. FY 2022 EBITDA excluding exceptional items of these entities was approximately EUR 45 million.
Patrick van der Voort – Vopak Business Unit President Netherlands: “Although within Vopak we will surely miss our colleagues at the chemical terminals in Rotterdam, we are convinced that our customers and colleagues will be well served by partnering with Infracapital who is a long term and an experienced infrastructure investor. We would like to thank everyone involved for their trust and contribution to Vopak and will work together, with among others the works council towards a closing and smooth ownership transfer to Infracapital.”
Michiel Gilsing, Member of the Executive Board and CFO of Vopak: “The divestment of the three chemical terminals in Rotterdam is in line with our strategic goals to improve the financial performance of the portfolio, grow Vopak’s footprint in gas and industrial terminals and accelerate towards new energies. We remain committed to actively manage our portfolio towards infrastructure investments that support the long term cash flow profile and return ambitions of the company.”
Vopak’s Strategy – Shaping the future
Our commitment to shaping a better future has led us to set ambitious goals to guide us towards 2030. Our aim is to improve the financial and sustainability performance of our portfolio. In addition, we aim to grow in industrial and gas infrastructure by investing EUR 1 billion by 2030 and to accelerate in infrastructure for new energies by investing another EUR 1 billion over the same period. We are proud to be leading the way in providing infrastructure solutions that are and will be essential to the economy and the daily lives of people around the world.
Source: Hellenic Shipping News
