Boluda Shipping and Samskip have signed an agreement for the acquisition of the short-sea specialist by Boluda.
The companies aim to combine their networks in Northern Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula, to the Canary Islands and to West Africa. The industry report mentions 32 vessels and an annual volume of approximately 750,000 TEU for the resulting network.
According to an official statement from Samskip, the transaction is expected to close on January 1, 2027. It is subject to regulatory approvals and other agreed-upon conditions.
The merger could change the supply structure in European short-sea shipping. For shippers, connections, frequencies, competition and reliability are more important than fleet size alone.
As of October 30, the transaction has not yet been completed. Statements about an already completed integration would be premature.