UK’s Largest Port Operator Set To Get Australian Fund As Majority Owner In Reported £10 Billion Deal

A fund managed by Australia’s IFM Investors has agreed to buy a 63.9% stake in Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s largest port operator. The deal values the company at about £10 billion.

The sale will see Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) sell its 33.9% stake and Canadian pension fund OMERS sell its 30% holding.

ABP operates 19 ports across England, Scotland and Wales. Its ports handle about 25% of the UK’s seaborne trade.

The financial details of the deal have not been made public. The sale is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.

OMERS first invested in ABP in 2006, while CPP Investments bought its stake in 2015. Both investors announced plans to sell their shares in February 2026.

IFM Investors said it plans to support ABP’s operations and invest in its infrastructure. The company also pointed to its experience in ports and other essential infrastructure.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement where a fund managed by IFM would acquire a majority stake in ABP, the UK’s largest ports group with strategically located assets serving some of the country’s most important trade and industrial regions,” said Kyle Mangini, IFM Investors’ global head of infrastructure.

IFM said it looked forward to working with ABP’s management, employees and other shareholders.

ABP Chief Executive Henrik L. Pedersen thanked CPP Investments and OMERS for their support and described the deal as a new chapter for the company.

“Today marks a bold new chapter for ABP,” Pedersen said. He added that the proposed investment showed confidence in ABP, its employees and its plans for the business.

ABP’s ports serve major trade and industrial areas across Britain. The company also supports more than half of the UK’s offshore wind sector.

The deal would give the IFM-managed fund control of a majority stake in a company that handles a large share of the UK’s seaborne trade and supports its offshore wind industry.

IFM Investors is owned by Australian pension funds and the UK pension fund Nest.

Before the agreement, reports named private equity firms Apollo and KKR and India’s Adani Group as potential buyers of ABP.

The deal has not yet been completed. It still needs shareholder and regulatory approval, and the parties expect it to close in the first half of 2027.

Until the sale is completed, CPP Investments and OMERS will continue to hold their respective stakes. The financial terms have not been disclosed.

References: WorldCargoNews, Telegraph