TORONTO & GHENT, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Northleaf Capital Partners (Northleaf) is pleased to announce that funds managed by Northleaf have acquired a 90% stake in Douglas Terminals from Hartree Partners (UK) Limited (Hartree) and Ghent Transport & Storage NV (GTS).
Douglas Terminals is a 557,000-cubic metre liquid bulk storage terminal based in the Port of Ghent, Belgium. The facility consists of 17 high-quality tanks currently used for the storage of jet fuel, gasoil, diesel and biodiesel. Hartree and GTS started commercial operations at the terminal in 2017. GTS will retain a 10% stake and continue to operate the terminal under a management services agreement. As part of the transaction, Hartree, GTS and Northleaf have agreed to jointly develop Max Terminals, a new liquid storage terminal to be located on land adjacent to the Douglas Terminals site.
“Direct investments in high-quality bulk liquid storage assets are consistent with Northleaf’s strategy and offer our investors significant potential for stable, long-term returns,” said Roderick Gadsby, Managing Director at Northleaf. “This investment further strengthens and diversifies Northleaf’s portfolio of bulk liquid storage assets that now includes investments in the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand.”
“We are delighted to announce this transaction and are confident that Northleaf is the right majority owner of Douglas Terminals, given its experience in the liquid storage sector,” said Heiko Voelker, Director at Hartree. “We look forward to partnering with Northleaf on the development of Max Terminals in the future.”
“We have found our ideal long-term partner in Northleaf and are pleased that it supports Douglas Terminals’ strategy going forward,” said Yves Bienfet, Owner at GTS. “We are eager to work together with them in relation to Douglas Terminals, the development of Max Terminals and future opportunities in liquid storage.”
About Northleaf Capital Partners
Northleaf Capital Partners is an independent global private markets investment firm with more than US$13 billion in private equity, private credit and infrastructure commitments under management on behalf of public, corporate and multi-employer pension plans, endowments, foundations, financial institutions and family offices. Northleaf’s 140-person team, located in Toronto, Montreal, London, New York, Chicago, Menlo Park and Melbourne, is focused exclusively on sourcing, evaluating and managing private markets investments globally. Northleaf’s portfolio includes more than 350 active investments in 34 countries, with a focus on mid-market companies and assets. Northleaf currently manages seven global private equity funds, two specialist global private equity secondaries funds, three global private credit funds, three direct OECD-focused infrastructure funds and a series of customized investment mandates tailored to meet the specific needs of institutional investors and family offices. For more information on Northleaf, please visit www.northleafcapital.com.
About Hartree Partners (UK) Limited
Hartree Partners is a global merchant commodities firm specializing in energy, commodities and their associated industries. Formed in 1997, the firm now has over 10 offices around the world. The firm focuses on identifying value in the production, refinement, transportation and consumption of tradable commodities, and anticipating opportunities in the supply chain. Hartree Partners’ trading, investment and fund management arms are especially active in the energy and metals markets as well as the growing carbon and emissions markets.
About Ghent Transport & Storage NV
GTS is a family-owned business that specialises in the handling of bulk cargo. It operates three dedicated terminals in the Port of Ghent. It provides a wide range of port related services including bulk- and liquid storage, warehousing and freight forwarding.
Advisers
ABN AMRO acted as exclusive financial adviser to Hartree Partners and GTS, with Lydian acting as legal adviser.
Macquarie Capital acted as exclusive financial adviser to Northleaf Capital Partners, with Ashurst acting as legal adviser.
