MSC to buy Italian towage operator Rimorchiatori Mediterranei

Swiss shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company has agreed to acquire Italian towage operator Rimorchiatori Mediterranei.

As informed, the purchase will be conducted from Genoa-based Rimorchiatori Riuniti and a fund managed by DWS’s Infrastructure Investment business.

The tug firm is currently active in Italy, Malta, Singapore, Malaysia, Norway, Greece and Colombia.

MSC stressed that the completion of the acquisition remains subject to the receipt of approvals from the relevant authorities. Further details, as well as the price of the transaction, were not revealed.

“With this transaction, MSC continues to confirm its willingness to further improve towage service efficiency across all Rimorchiatori Mediterranei’s operations,” according to the Swiss firm.

“We are very pleased to be able to become part of the exciting next phase for growth and improvement at Rimorchiatori Mediterranei and we look forward to continuing to expand the business…,” Diego Aponte, MSC president, stated.

“Thanks to its global network in shipping and port operations, we think MSC is going to be the ideal investor to accompany Rimorchiatori Mediterranei towards its next growth chapter,” Gregorio Gavarone, Executive President of Rimorchiatori Riuniti, added.

Rimorchiatori Riuniti, founded in 1922 by a group of Genoese families, will keep on operating its services in ship owning, ship management, and offshore activities through the 100% controlled companies Crystal Pool and Finarge.

To remind, MSC overtook the position of Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller Maersk as the world’s largest ocean carrier by operated container vessel capacity.

The company calls at 500 ports on 230+ trade routes, carrying some 23 million TEU annually, via a fleet equipped with the latest green technologies. Its containership fleet currently encompasses 4,533,202 TEUs, which means the firm holds 17,5% of the global market share, according to Alphaliner.