UK port operator keeps quiet on possible sale
Peel Ports' Liverpool2. Image: Peel PortsA major UK-based port operator has issued a “no comment” response to a report that part of a stake in it may be sold.
The Peel Group’s chairman, John Whittaker, has been speaking to European pension fund ATP and could potentially sell up to 25pc of Peel Ports alongside fellow investor Deutsche Bank, according to The Telegraph.
A representative for Peel Ports told Port Strategy it had “no comment” on the subject.
International funds weighing bids for the business include Dutch investment manager APG and Australia’s QIC, City sources said.
In April, Deutsche Bank's former asset management business, DWS, declined to comment on a report by The Sunday Times that it was considering the sale of a 15% stake in Peel Ports.
DWS, which has owned 49% of Peel Ports since 2006, was listed by Deutsche Bank in March 2018. However, the bank is still a majority shareholder.
Peel Ports has facilities in Liverpool, Clydeport, Dublin, Great Yarmouth, Heysham, London and Manchester.
