Journal · · 1 min read
IFM Investors to buy controlling stake in UK's largest port operator
On October 21, 2026, a fund managed by Australia's IFM Investors announced it would buy 63.9% of Associated British Ports (ABP) — the UK's largest port operator, running 19 ports including Southampton, Immingham and Hull, and handling about 25% of the country's seaborne trade. The sellers are Canadian pension funds CPP Investments (33.9%) and OMERS (30%). Financial terms weren't disclosed; Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the deal, values ABP at £10bn (about $13.4bn). Closing, which requires regulatory approvals including a national security review, is expected in the first half of 2027.
On October 21, 2026, a fund managed by Australia's IFM Investors announced it would buy a 63.9% stake in Associated British Ports (ABP) — the UK's largest port operator. The sellers are Canadian pension funds CPP Investments, which had held 33.9% since 2015, and OMERS, which had held 30% since 2006. The parties did not disclose financial terms; Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the deal, values ABP at about £10bn (roughly $13.4bn) — and the same deal structure (63.9% / 33.9% / 30%) was independently confirmed by trade outlet IPE Real Assets.
ABP operates 19 UK ports, including Southampton, Immingham and Hull, and handles about 25% of the country's seaborne trade, as well as more than half of its offshore wind capacity. Remaining shareholders include Singapore's GIC (20%), the Kuwait Investment Authority via Wren House Infrastructure (10%), and Federated Hermes via Anchorage Ports (around 6%). IFM's global head of infrastructure, Kyle Mangini, said the investment would support ABP's continued infrastructure development; ABP's chief executive, Henrik Pedersen, called the deal an endorsement of the company's long-term strategy.
Closing, which requires shareholder and regulatory approval including a national security review, is expected in the first half of 2027. For forwarders working with UK ports, a change of controlling shareholder doesn't immediately change tariffs or operating procedures on its own, but it reflects growing interest from infrastructure and pension funds in port assets as a long-term play on trade flows.
Source: gCaptain, Oct 21, 2026 — https://gcaptain.com/australian-fund-to-acquire-majority-stake-in-uks-largest-port-operator-in-13-4-billion-deal/
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