Portuguese Dredger Sold
Dutch Koninklijke Boskalis Westminster NV bought fellow dredger Dragapor from the Portuguese government. The unit, which was put up for sale in December, will be merged with Boskalis' local subsidiary Sociedade Portuguesa de Dragagens Lda. No financial details of the deal were disclosed. Dragapor has about 20 employees and a fleet consisting of two dredgers, some barges, a cutter suction dredger, a hopper dredger and a lift barge. Boskalis, the world's largest dredger, said the acquisition would be of economic importance to its position in southern Europe and fitted its policy of home market positioning. Earlier this year, Boskalis launched a 643 million euro ($620 million) hostile bid for Dutch construction and dredging firm Hollandsche Beton Groep (HBG).
HBG, Ballast Nedam Combine Dredging Ops
Dutch construction firms Hollandsche Beton Groep (HBG) and Ballast Nedam signed a contract to merge their dredging operations. The joint operation, Ballast HAM Dredging, would have sales of 635 million euros ($548 million) and about 2,000 employees. Ballast, a relatively small player in dredging, said it would hold a third of the shares in the new company which would see it achieving its required industry scale. HBG's move has angered a substantial number of its shareholders, although it believes it does not require their approval. On Tuesday, HBG shareholders said they would request a court inquiry into the firm's strategy after HBG said the planned deal with Ballast was irreversible.
