Grimaldi Takes Sole Ownership of Swedish Port

After buying Eukor Car Carriers’ 50 percent stake, Grimaldi Group is now the sole owner of the Swedish roll-on, roll-off port of Wallhamn. Grimaldi Group and Eukor bought the port in 2005.

Eukor will continue to use Walllhamn under a long term agreement, both companies said. The length of the agreement was not specified; nor were transaction amounts. Wallhamn is used for the import and export of new cars, industrial vehicles, roll-on, roll-off cargo and project cargo. In 2008 the port handled 125,000 cars and 8,500 ro-ro units, according to European news sources.

Wallhamn serves the western Sweden and southeastern Norway hinterland and is a cargo and transshipment connection for Grimaldi Lines’ weekly Euromed Service to the Mediterranean and Grimaldi and Finnlines’ BalticEuroMed ro-ro service to Russia, Finland, Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. Finnlines and Grimaldi Lines are both owned by Grimaldi Group.

Naples-based Grimaldi Group operates a fleet of more than 120 ships, according to its Web site, and its lines include Grimaldi Lines, Atlantic Container Line (Sweden and the US), Malta Motorways of the Sea (Malta), Minoan Lines (Greece) and Finnlines (Finland).

(Source: Journal of Commerce)