NileDutch acquires Safmarine MPV

The Rotterdam-based ocean carrier doubled down on its West Africa operations by acquiring the multi-purpose division of Maersk Line subsidiary Safmarine.     Rotterdam-based ocean carrier NileDutch has acquired the West Africa services of Safmarine MPV, an independently run multi-purpose vessel business owned by Maersk Line.
    Safmarine MPV has a staff of 24 employees and operates three chartered ships that carry project cargo, un-unitized breakbulk and container cargo between West Africa and Northern Europe and the Iberian peninsula. Its ships call main ports and private jetties along the West African coastline and perform offshore ship-to-ship transfers.
   Like Safmarine MPV, Nile Dutch is a specialist in trades to and from West Africa. The company said the acquisition “complements and expands the service offering of NileDutch to customers of containerized, oil & gas, project and conventional cargo to carry a mix of cargo on the same vessel under a single bill of lading.”
   NileDutch’s website shows the company has a fleet of 26 ships and offers services not only between West Africa and North Europe, but also the East Coast of the United States, Portugal, the Mediterranean, South America, the Far East, South Africa. It also has a West Africa feeder.
   “The extension of our service offering delivered by this transaction will enable NileDutch to enhance its operational competiveness in global shipping. With so many infrastructure projects underway in especially West Africa, this multipurpose offering gives NileDutch a real edge and will allow us to seize more business opportunities in the fields of energy equipment, infrastructure, mining and agriculture,” said Jan Willem de Braal, the chief operating officers of NileDutch. “By bringing together the know-how of both teams, we will be even better positioned to provide premium services to our customers across all markets.”
   The service will be known now as NileDutch MPV, with the first sailing scheduled to commence in April.