WILL YILDIRIM CASH IN?

In October 2014, it was widely reported that Yildirim wanted to dispose of this stake. This position was re-iterated again in October 2015. Yet on neither occasion did it happen and by the end of 2017 it was clear that this shareholding in the world’s third-largest container ocean carrier was being retained.
However, move forward to October 2021 and the same rumours are circling again across the port and shipping industry that Yildirim may be looking to sell its share. 
This 24 per cent stake was gained following an injection of US$500 million in the French shipping line in 2010 and a further US$100 million in 2011. It can be safely assumed that any sale here will be for a figure in excess of the initial purchase value.
There is no doubt that if this process does gain traction and the shares became available then they represent a rare opportunity for an investor to gain a stake in a largescale container shipping, port and logistics specialist.
Of course, this is assuming that the CMA CGM-controlling Saade family do not acquire the shares directly – which has to be regarded as the more likely option.
It should also be noted that Yildirim is a company that also has a well-documented interest in expanding its current portfolio of four terminals in Turkey, seven in Portugal, two in Spain, two in Sweden and one in each of Malta, Norway and Peru.
This means the company has a confirmed capacity to handle almost 5.7 million TEU, but this will definitely increase if the Yildirim Group of companies meets its goal for Yilport Holding to “become a top 10 global port operator by 2025.”