CHICAGO: Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) and Norton Lilly International announced that their steamship agency joint venture, Agri Port Services LLC, has acquired Brazilian port and shipping agency Blue Ocean Agencia Maritima Ltda. ADM was previously a part owner in Blue Ocean.
Blue Ocean services oceangoing vessels at ports throughout Brazil and maintains offices in the strategic ports of Santos and Paranagua. The company serves as a shipping agent for both inbound and outbound vessels, coordinating vessel clearance, loading/discharging operations, vessel logistics and support, vessel resupply, and cargo and customs documentation.
“ADM’s ability to offer logistics services and expertise throughout the value chain is one of the things that sets us apart, and we are growing our logistics capabilities around the globe,” said Hans Christian Jensen, director, Global Ocean Freight, for ADM. “We added shipping agency capabilities in eastern Europe when we acquired full ownership of several export facilities on the Black Sea earlier this month. And in April, we announced the launch of ARTCO Stevedoring, which offers bulk stevedoring and crane service, fleeting, harbor and other river services on the lower Mississippi. Now, with our partner Norton Lilly, we are expanding our logistics offerings in Brazil, a large and growing exporter of agricultural products and other bulk commodities. Agri Port Services will now be able to provide one point of contact for ship owners, managers and charterers throughout the Americas.”
Norton Lilly Chairman Win Thurber added, “We are very excited about the acquisition of Blue Ocean, which allows Agri Port Services to fulfill the vision to have one point of contact for customers in North and South America.”
