Acquisition to expand AD Ports Group’s geographic footprint into South America, and ‎strengthen its growing agrifood business vertical

AD Ports Group aims to establish new trade routes directly linking Brazil to Khalifa ‎Port and Abu Dhabi Food Hub, the region’s largest food hub in KEZAD.

CLI operates two of Brazil’s most important sugar and grain export terminals at the ‎Port of Itaqui and Port of Santos

ED 3.1 billion (USD 835 million) purchase of CLI is the largest-ever M&A transaction ‎conducted by AD Ports Group.

São Paulo, Brazil, and Abu Dhabi, UAE : AD Ports Group (ADX: ‎ADPORTS), a leading global enabler of trade, industry, and logistics solutions, ‎acquired Corredor Logística e Infraestrutura (CLI), Brazil’s leading independent agri-‎bulk port terminal operator, entering the South American market with a strategically ‎major expansion transaction.‎

 CLI: Most important agri-bulk export ‎terminals

São Paulo-based CLI operates two of Brazil’s most important agri-bulk export ‎terminals under long-term concessions: CLI Sul, Brazil’s leading sugar export terminal ‎and key export terminal for corn and soybeans, located in the Port of Santos; and CLI ‎Norte, another key grains gateway at the Port of Itaqui, which is part of the Brazilian ‎‎‘Arc of the North’, an essential geographical region encompassing the Amazon basin ‎that is a pivotal logistics hub and significant emerging corridor for agriculture exports.‎

 Ports in northern Brazil recorded the fastest growth in the ‎country.

In 2025, ports and terminals in northern Brazil recorded the fastest growth in the ‎country, reinforcing the strategic role of the “Arc of the North’ corridor in reshaping the ‎nation’s logistics map.‎The two terminals play a key role in connecting the producing regions of Brazil, the ‎world’s leading sugar exporter and one of the largest grain exporters, to the world.‎ 

AD Ports Group acquired CLI from its joint owners.

AD Ports Group agreed to acquire CLI from joint owners Macquarie Asset ‎Management, and IG4 Capital. CLI owns 100% of CLI Norte, which operates a ‎terminal at the Port of Itaqui, and 80% of CLI Sul, which operates a terminal at the ‎Port of Santos.‎ The transaction, which is expected to be completed in the second half of the year, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory and antitrust approvals, was conducted at an enterprise value of AED 3.1 billion (USD 835 million). ‎

 

CLI’s existing senior management team will remain in ‎place.‎

It has also been agreed that CLI’s existing senior management team will remain in ‎place to continue running the company.‎
The CLI acquisition represents a transformative step for AD Ports Group, positioning ‎it as one of South America’s leading independent agri-bulk terminal operators, with ‎strategic access to a vast new number of opportunities for the Group’s associated ‎businesses of maritime and shipping, logistics, economic cities, and digital services.‎

The purchase of CLI is a game changer for AD Ports Group. ‎

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director & Group CEO of AD ‎Ports Group, said: “The purchase of CLI is a game changer for AD Ports Group. ‎The transaction extends our Group’s international reach for the first time into Latin ‎America, and deepens our growing agrifoods activities, one of our core verticals. ‎Under the wise guidance of our leadership in the United Arab Emirates, AD Ports ‎Group is committed to enabling trade in one of the world’s most important, fastest-‎growing agricultural commodities markets, which will not only benefit the Group’s ‎global clients, including those in Brazil, but also strengthen the AD Ports Group global ‎network.”‎

Brazil supports AD Ports Group’s geographic expansion.

Brazil supports AD Ports Group’s geographic expansion as well as the Group’s plan ‎to develop a major new East-West trade spoke linking South America’s largest ‎economy to the Indian Subcontinent, East Africa and Southeast Asia. The UAE is in ‎advanced negotiations with Mercosur, the South American trading bloc that includes ‎Brazil, to establish a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Emirati ‎investments in Brazil are estimated to be approximately USD 5 billion in total, ‎according to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two countries maintain a highly ‎active strategic partnership, having signed a Double Taxation Agreement and ‎eliminated various tax and investment barriers to boost bilateral business.‎

‎Acting as a responsible custodian of essential infrastructure assets

Fernando Lohmann, Head of Macquarie Asset Management in Brazil, said: ‎‎“Brazil’s agricultural export sector continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience, ‎reinforcing the country’s position as one of the world’s leading suppliers of agricultural ‎commodities. As a long-term investor in the country, Macquarie remains committed to ‎acting as a responsible custodian of essential infrastructure assets that help drive ‎economic development, improve connectivity and support Brazil’s role in global trade ‎, and we believe AD Ports Group is ideally positioned to support CLI’s next phase of ‎growth.” ‎

‎Strengthening the company’s operational expanding its strategic footprint

Paulo Todescan L. Mattos, Co-Founder, Managing Partner, and CEO of IG4 ‎Capital, said: Since becoming shareholders in CLI, our focus has been on ‎strengthening the company’s operational capabilities, expanding its strategic footprint, ‎and positioning the platform to capture the long-term growth of Brazil’s agri-bulk ‎export sector. We believe AD Ports Group is the right strategic owner to build on this ‎foundation, bringing global trade expertise, infrastructure capabilities, and a long-term ‎vision that will support CLI’s continued growth and development.”‎

The purchase of CLI gives AD Ports Group an entry point into Latin America, and a ‎platform for further regional expansion. Moreover, the agrifood sector is a priority ‎vertical in the Group’s intelligent internationalization expansion strategy, with several ‎key investments made in that space recently.‎

Related: AD Ports Group posts record 2025 revenue and profit

 Investment of  USD 30 million in the greenfield Sarzha Grain ‎Terminal 

In December 2025, the Group’s Karachi Gateway Multipurpose Terminal Ltd. ‎‎(KGTML) and the Pakistan unit of global merchant and agricultural goods processor ‎Louis Dreyfus Company signed a long-term agreement to develop a clean bulk ‎handling and storage facility for agricultural goods at Karachi Port. In January 2025, ‎the Group agreed to invest about USD 30 million in the greenfield Sarzha Grain ‎Terminal on the Caspian Sea at Kuryk Port in Kazakhstan, and earlier this year, the ‎Group secured a 30-year concession to operate the Aqaba multipurpose port in ‎Jordan, which is a key player in agri-bulk in the Middle East with over 3 million tonnes ‎of grains handled annually. Moreover, Noatum Ports’ Spanish operations are already ‎significantly involved in agri-bulk, with the Tarragona and Sagunto terminals handling ‎around 2 million tonnes of grain imports annually and with an additional investment of ‎AED 90 million (EUR 21 million) announced recently for modernizing existing facilities ‎at the Tarragona terminal. ‎

CLI handled a combined 17 million tonnes of agri-bulk cargo 

In 2025, CLI handled a combined 17 million tonnes of agri-bulk cargo and delivered a ‎revenue of AED 654 million (USD 178 million), generating an EBITDA of AED 360 ‎million (USD 98 million).‎ CLI operates one of Brazil’s few large-scale, agri-bulk port platforms, strategically ‎located along export corridors and ports. The ports of Santos and Itaqui are ‎structurally constrained, particularly in Santos, where limited expansion capacity and ‎chronic congestion are expected to underpin long-term utilization and pricing ‎resilience.‎

Brazil is the world’s largest sugar exporter.

Long-term demand for the Group’s Brazilian terminals is also supported by Brazil’s ‎global leadership and the strategic importance of the country’s grain and sugar ‎exports. Brazil is the world’s largest sugar exporter, accounting for 40-50% of total ‎global sugar exports, according to industry figures, and a leader in soybeans, coffee, ‎and corn.‎

The purchase of CLI is AD Ports Group’s largest acquisition to date following the ‎Group’s AED 2.65 billion (USD 720 million) purchase of Spain’s Noatum in 2023, and ‎its AED 1.9 billion (USD 510 million) purchase of a 51% stake in Dubai-based Global ‎Feeder Shipping (GFS) in early 2024.‎ For the transaction, AD Ports Group was advised by BTG Pactual, while IG4 and ‎Macquarie Asset Management were advised by Citi.‎

Source : Press - Release
#Macquarie Asset Management #AD Ports Group #Noatum #São Paulo-based CLI #Louis Dreyfus  #Brazi Company#Karachi Port#Kuryk Port #Port of Santos;# Agri-Bulk ‎Port #Indian Subcontinent