G&W buys terminal operator to complement Freightliner

TIN news:  Genesee & Wyoming Inc has entered into an agreement to purchase UK container terminal and road haulage operator Pentalver Transport Ltd from APM Terminals. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2017.
Pentalver operates off-dock container terminals at the major seaports of Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway and Tilbury, an inland terminal at Cannock in the West Midlands, and a fleet of 150 lorries. It also provides container sales, maintenance and repair services.
G&W said Pentalver would complement its Freightliner business, which is the UK’s largest hauler of maritime containers by rail and operates around 250 road vehicles for collection and delivery from its inland terminals.
‘The acquisition of Pentalver is an excellent strategic fit with our existing intermodal offering in the UK’, said G&W President & CEO Jack Hellmann on December 13. ‘With the advent of larger container ships and the growth of distribution centres in the Midlands and throughout the UK, our maritime intermodal customers are seeking greater service optionality, which includes not only rail and road transportation but also the ability to store, maintain and position containers.  Amidst the dramatic changes that are structurally altering the global shipping industry, we are pleased to be enhancing our service capabilities to meet the long term needs of our intermodal customers’.