The usually quiet month of August saw some interesting changes developing in Europe's shortsea tanker market. Shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk (Maersk) has made a conditional public offer to the shareholders of Swedish chemical and oil product tanker operator Brostrom to buy the company at SKr 57 per share, valuing the company at SKr 3.62bn ($569m). As the Bulletin went to press the shareholders at Brostrom had unanimously recommended the offer be accepted and the deadline for acceptance is expected to be set for November 2008. If the purchase is completed Maersk will then call for compulsory acquisition of the outstanding minority shares and Maersk Product Tankers, the company with which Brostrom will merge, will act in favour of a de-listing of Brostrom shares from the OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm.
展开▼
