Infracapital acquires leading Benelux inland container terminal operator BCTN
- BCTN provides sustainable transport solutions via inland waterways to blue chip clients
- Strong platform benefiting from accelerating transition of haulage from road to water to ease congestion in areas surrounding deep sea terminals
Infracapital, the infrastructure equity investment arm of M&G Plc, has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of BCTN, a leading inland container terminal operator in the Benelux, from Alinda Capital Partners LLC.
Established in 1987, BCTN is the largest inland terminal operator in the Benelux. The business provides end-to-end inland container transport services to customers using Europe’s largest deep sea ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Zeebrugge. BCTN’s terminals are located in strategically important positions within close proximity of the Group’s clients.
Inland waterway transport is a sustainable and efficient method of transporting containers from the region’s deep sea ports to a diverse set of blue chip clients via BCTN’s network of eight inland terminals. Inland waterway logistics is a resilient and growing segment in the Benelux logistics sector, providing an alternative to road haulage. Each barge has the ability to take approximately 100 trucks off the roads, contributing to a significant reduction in carbon emissions and congestion. Several of the barges are operating as hybrids and are electric ready, so there is an opportunity to convert them to be fully battery powered, further enhancing their sustainability capabilities.
Infracapital will invest in BCTN to continue to offer sustainable and cost-efficient solutions to clients and to ensure that the Group is well positioned to capitalise on future growth opportunities.
Herman Deetman, Managing Director at Infracapital, said: “We are delighted to acquire BCTN and help drive its future as a leading provider of sustainable and essential infrastructure solutions. Clean and efficient logistics will be increasingly important for industry in Belgium and the Netherlands, particularly as pressure builds on the road network. We’re pleased to add another quality continental European business to Infracapital Partners III, which brings further geographic and sector diversification to the fund.”
Chris Beale, Chairman of Alinda Capital Partners, said: “BCTN has been a leader as a sustainable inland ports business, and we have been pleased to support its expansion from the Netherlands into Belgium and its opening of new terminals. We expect BCTN to flourish under its new owner.”
ENDS
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About Infracapital
Infracapital invests in, builds and manages a diverse range of essential infrastructure to meet the changing needs of society and support long-term economic growth. We take an active role in all of our investments, whether nascent or large, to fulfil their potential and ensure they are adaptable and resilient. Our approach creates value for our investors, as we target investments with the scope for stable and sustainable growth. Our portfolio companies work closely with the communities where they are based, to the benefit of all stakeholders. Infracapital is well positioned to deliver the significant investment required to help build the future. The founder-led team of experienced specialists has worked with more than 50 companies around Europe and has raised and managed over £6.5 billion of client capital across six funds. Infracapital is part of M&G Plc, a leading European savings and investments business. M&G manages the long-term savings of more than 5 million people and is a major investor in the UK and in the global economy. Total assets under management are £367 billion (as at 31 December 2020).
About Alinda Capital Partners
Founded in 2005, Alinda is one of the world’s most experienced infrastructure investment firms. It is a long-term investor in infrastructure assets that provide essential services to communities. Its investment are across all 50 states in the United States as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom and continental Europe. These businesses serve over 100 million customers annually in more than 550 cities globally, and are run by a workforce of over 80,000 people.
www.astatineip.com (formerly Alinda Capital Partners)
About BCTN
BCTN is the main inland container terminal network in the Benelux with terminals in Alblasserdam, Beringen (Belgium), Geel (Belgium), Den Bosch, Nijmegen, Roermond, Venray and Meerhout (Belgium). Since its foundation in 1987, BCTN has been working on sustainable transport via European inland waterways.