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MOL is set to acquire an equity stake in Alistair Group, a leading logistics company in Sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to strengthen logistics services on the continent

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), headed by President and CEO Takeshi Hashimoto, announced that it has agreed to acquire a 25% stake in Alistair Group, a reputable logistics company based in Tanzania and led by President Alistair James. Alistair Group specializes in providing cross-border logistics solutions across Sub-Saharan Africa, catering to a diverse range of industries and clients. This acquisition marks a significant strategic move for MOL, enabling the company to expand its presence and operations in the Sub-Saharan African region while leveraging Alistair Group’s established expertise and network in the logistics sector.

Alistair Group, with its extensive experience and expertise, has established offices in eight countries in Southeast Africa. Its business centers on cross-border logistics services for truck transport of copper, cobalt, and other critical mineral resources produced in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia in inland Africa to coastal export ports. It is also engaged in customs clearance, warehouse operations, and cargo handling at ports, and logistics DX (digital transformation) services and has a fleet of about 450 trucks and about 1,000 employees.

MOL was the first Japanese shipping company to establish a shipping route between Japan and the east coast of Africa in 1926. It has been offering marine transport services to and from Africa for nearly 100 years. With offices in South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, and Mauritius, MOL is proactively developing various businesses on a group-wide scale, including not only ocean freight forwarding but also air freight forwarding, land transport, warehousing, and the export of used Japanese agricultural machinery (Note 1).

MOL has positioned portfolio and regional strategies as core strategies of the MOL Group’s “BLUE ACTION 2035” management plan and is pursuing the development and expansion of new non-shipping businesses as well, such as logistics, in emerging regions. Through this capital participation, MOL and Alistair will merge the MOL Group’s global network and expertise in shipping and logistics with Alistair’s expertise in cross-border logistics in Southeast Africa. This will enable both groups to offer a wider range of high-quality logistics services to customers in Africa, a region where MOL anticipates significant growth and new business opportunities due to increasing population and abundant resources, including renewal energy potential.

MOL Senior Managing Executive Officer Toshinobu Shinoda, who is responsible for Europe and Africa, commented, “Since its founding in 2008, Alistair has repeatedly made creative efforts to meet thoroughly customer needs through streamlined operation routes, highly IT-enabled information and payment systems, equipment and machinery quality management, and business operations run by outstanding management staff. As a result, Alistair has grown into a leading regional mining and infrastructure logistics company. We at MOL look forward to increasing our presence in Africa, which offers tremendous potential, and we are extremely proud to have Alistair as a robust partner with whom we can share values.”

Alistair Group CEO Alistair James commented: “We’ve set an ambitious vision and are taking decisive steps to solidify our position as the leading logistics provider across the African continent. We look forward to continuing to fund our core business’s growth while investing further in our cutting-edge technology and regional infrastructure developments. Alistair Group is thrilled to be partnering with MOL to benefit both businesses. The investment offers us a significant competitive edge and presents an opportunity to seamlessly integrate ocean and cross-border shipping, meeting the exacting demands of our customers. Essentially, this partnership is set to propel our growth to new heights.”

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