AD Ports Group signs US$835 million deal for Brazil’s CLI, expanding into Santos and Itaqui

AD Ports Group, a logistics conglomerate controlled by Abu Dhabi sovereign fund ADQ, has formalized the acquisition of Corredor Logística e Infraestrutura, or CLI, which operates terminals at the ports of Santos and Itaqui, in Maranhão. According to a company statement, the transaction was valued at US$835 million, or about R$4.2 billion.

The Abu Dhabi-based group said the deal is the largest merger and acquisition transaction in its history and marks its entry into the Latin American market.

The acquisition was negotiated with Australia’s Macquarie Asset Management and IG4 Capital, the current controlling shareholders of the Brazilian company. Under the terms of the agreement, AD Ports Group will take full control of CLI Norte, which operates a terminal at the Port of Itaqui, and an 80% stake in CLI Sul, at the Port of Santos.

CLI handles agricultural bulk cargoes and operates terminals focused mainly on sugar, soybean and corn exports. At the Port of Santos, the company runs one of Brazil’s main sugar export terminals.

In Maranhão, CLI is linked to the flow of agricultural production through the so-called Northern Arc, a logistics corridor that has been gaining share in Brazil’s grain exports.

Final closing of the transaction still depends on approval from Brazil’s antitrust authority, Cade, and other Brazilian regulators. The process is expected to be completed in the second half of this year.

In 2025, CLI handled 17 million tonnes of cargo and reported revenue of US$178 million, according to figures released by the buyer. The company holds long-term contracts to operate the terminals and serves trading companies, producers and agricultural exporters.

AD Ports Group said in a statement that CLI’s current management team will remain in place after the transaction is completed.

The acquisition expands the international footprint of the Abu Dhabi-based conglomerate, which already has port and logistics assets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Source: A Tribuna

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