Cash-rich Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), the world’s largest containerline, has made a bid for Clasquin, a French logistics company.
Clasquin is an air and sea freight forwarding and logistics specialist, which is listed in Paris. MSC has given the company’s top two shareholders through to the end of Q1 next year to decide on whether or not to sell up. MSC has valued the company based on an enterprise value of €325m ($351m).
MSC, which made a net profit of €36.2bn last year, has been buying logistics infrastructure on a massive scale recently.
Last month it formed a new company with Italy’s state-run Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane to expand the freight transport logistics network between ports in Italy and the rest of Europe.
In October, MSC struck a deal with New York-headquartered Global Infrastructure Partners to buy a 50% stake in Italian passenger rail operator Italo while in September MSC was selected as the winning partner to help revive Spain’s national rail freight operator Renfe Mercanias.
In August, MSC acquired a majority stake of AlisCargo Airlines, a Milan-based air freight carrier.
The Gianluigi Aponte-founded Swiss containerline is also in the process of buying into Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHLA), Germany’s top port operator.
Last year, MSC spent $6.3bn buying Bolloré Africa Logistics.