IFM Investors, owned by Australian and UK pension funds, is acquiring a 63.9 per cent stake in Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s largest ports group.
The fund manager has signed an agreement with CPP Investments, which will sell its 33.9 per cent interest in ABP, and OMERS, which will divest its 30 per cent stake. Financial terms have not been disclosed, and the transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.
ABP operates 19 ports across the UK, handling approximately 25 per cent of the country’s seaborne trade. According to the company, its ports support more than half of the UK’s offshore wind industry.
CPP Investments acquired its stake in ABP in 2015, while OMERS first invested in the port operator in 2006. Both investors said the sale would allow them to realise value from their investments and redirect capital towards other opportunities.
ABP has developed port infrastructure to support offshore wind manufacturing, construction and operations and maintenance (O&M). Its activities include Green Port Hull, developed with Siemens to support offshore wind turbine manufacturing, and the Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility, which supports offshore wind construction and operations and maintenance (O&M) activities.
AB is also developing plans for a floating wind construction port at Port Talbot in Wales, involving a proposed investment of approximately GBP 500 million (around EUR 580 million).