JBR M&A transaction
Samskip is selling its multimodal transport operations in the UK and Ireland to CLdN.
JBR acted as M&A advisor to Samskip in connection with the carve-out and sale of its UK and Ireland transportation operations to CLdN.
The deal team at JBR Corporate Finance consists of: Rick ter Maat and Levi Schuurman.
JBR advised Samskip throughout the entire process surrounding the carve-out and sale of its UK and Ireland business.
The Belgian company CLdN is acquiring Samskip’s door-to-door and quay-to-quay transport operations focused on the UK and Ireland. The UK and Ireland operations involve more than 1,000 port calls annually, and as part of the transaction, CLdN is also acquiring more than 5,000 container units.
Facts and figures
Samskip
Samskip is one of Europe’s largest multimodal transport companies. With more than 40 offices in over 25 countries, Samskip focuses on the European short-sea market, from the Baltic States to Morocco.
- Samskip is originally an Icelandic company, founded in 1943 under the name Samband Line, which was changed to Samskip in 1991. The company focuses on the European short-sea market and is one of the largest European multimodal transport companies in that sector.
- Samskip offers high-frequency short-sea, road, rail, and inland waterway connections between destinations in Europe, the Baltic States, and Central Asia, both door-to-door (including pickup) and dock-to-dock. In addition, the Company provides supplementary services such as customs clearance, temperature-controlled logistics, and breakbulk and project cargo handling, utilizing a wide range of its own vessels, containers, trucks, and trailers, including a full range of ISO containers and reefers.
- Following the sale of its UK and Ireland operations, Samskip remains active in more than 25 countries through more than 40 offices and more than 1,500 full-time equivalents (FTEs). Samskip operates a fleet of approximately 18 vessels, with which the company provides more than 80 short-sea and inland waterway sailings weekly and more than 100 weekly train departures, with access to more than 100 terminals within its network.
CLdN
CLdN is one of Europe’s largest integrated logistics service providers in the areas of sea, road, and rail, with a strong focus on short-sea RoRo shipping between mainland Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Scandinavia.
- CLdN was founded in 1929 and thus has more than 90 years of experience as a provider of integrated quay-to-quay and door-to-door logistics solutions. The company connects Europe’s major economic regions through an extensive network of its own ships, terminals, and equipment;
- CLdN operates a fleet of more than 30 ships built in-house and provides more than 200 sailings per week between the European mainland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Iberian Peninsula, and Scandinavia;
- The company provides terminal handling services at 15 ports in Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, and handles RoRo shipping, vessel stevedoring, and the storage of (new) cars, commercial vehicles, trucks, and buses.
February 17, 2026
Press Release
Samskip Agrees to Sell Its UK and Ireland Quay-to-Quay and Door-to-Door Freight Business to CLdN
The transaction will ensure continuity and service for customers and help the company focus on growing other parts of the Samskip network.
Today, Samskip announced an agreement with CLdN, a leading short-sea shipping and multimodal operator, to sell its door-to-door and quay-to-quay cargo business in the UK and Ireland (UKI trade).
Samskip is confident that by transferring its UKI trade operations, continuity and high service levels for its customers will be ensured. By selling this part of its business, the company can focus more on growing other parts of its network, ensuring a strong, sustainable product offering with a customer-centric organization.
The transaction will enable Samskip to focus even more on the company’s long-distance multimodal network, which connects destinations across mainland Europe, the Nordic countries, the Baltic states, the Iberian Peninsula, and North Africa. With sustainability at the core of Samskip’s strategy, this will contribute to the decarbonization of its customers’ supply chains.
The sale covers the container shipping services currently operated by Samskip between Rotterdam (Rotterdam Short Sea Terminals / Matrans Rotterdam Terminal) and the UK ports of Belfast, Blyth, Grangemouth, Hull, and Tilbury, as well as the Irish ports of Cork, Dublin, and Waterford. The plan is to transfer all existing operations related to the UKI trade, including our operating agreements.
The proposed transaction is subject to the satisfactory outcome of the relevant and recommended regulatory and competition approvals.
(Note from JBR: Transaction effective on June 29, 2026)
Both parties have agreed not to disclose financial details related to the transaction.
Commenting on the transaction, Florent Maes, Chief Executive Officer of CLdN, said: “This transaction is highly complementary to CLdN’s existing shipping and multimodal operations. Customers will benefit from an even broader range of shipping options and enhanced door-to-door equipment and services. CLdN has a long history of connecting mainland Europe with the UK and Irish markets, and we look forward to further developing these reliable, flexible, and environmentally efficient connections through this acquisition.”
Ólafur Orri Ólafsson, Chief Executive Officer of Samskip, added: “We at Samskip are very confident about this transaction. It will allow us to focus on the key strategic markets of the future, where we will continue to invest in our organization and further develop our longer-distance trades—where we deliver the most value to our customers. At the same time, selling the UK and Ireland trades to a strong partner will ensure the continuation of these services and guarantee comprehensive coverage for our customers in those markets.”
Contact the deal team personally
Rick ter Maat
Partner
Levi Schuurman
Consultant Corporate Finance