Almost 30 years after withdrawing from the container shipping sector, Eurokai subsidiary Contship is re-entering the liner shipping business. The acquisition of Tarros is intended to create a logistics network in the Mediterranean region.
The Italian Contship Group is returning to the container shipping sector after almost three decades. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Sogemar, the company – which is majority-owned by the Hamburg-based Eurokai Group – has signed a purchase agreement to acquire the shipping and logistics group Tarros. According to Eurokai, the purchase price is in the mid double-digit millions.
Eurokai holds a stake of around 66.6% in Contship Italia. A further 33.3% is owned by the terminal operator Eurogate, in which Eurokai in turn holds a 50% stake. The acquisition is to be financed partly from equity and partly through debt.
The transaction is still subject to approval by the relevant authorities. It is expected to be finalised in the fourth quarter of 2026.
With Tarros, Contship is acquiring an established shipping company with an extensive transport and logistics network in the Mediterranean region. Founded in 1828, the company states that it employs around 750 staff and serves approximately 2,700 customers. Its network comprises 31 ports in 16 countries. In addition to maritime transport, Tarros also offers port handling and hinterland transport services.
The scope of the acquisition includes not only Tarros S.p.A. and its foreign subsidiaries, but also Terminal del Golfo, Car Box, Compagnia Marittima Servizi and Med Logistics Malta. This secures Contship not only access to the liner business, but also to existing customer relationships and transport chains.
Integrating maritime transport and hinterland logistics
With this acquisition, Contship aims to integrate its existing activities in the terminal business and intermodal transport more closely with maritime shipping. The group already has an intermodal network as well as terminal operations in Italy, Egypt and Morocco.
Contship CEO Matthieu Gasselin sees the integration of Tarros’ services with the existing network as an opportunity to expand the range of services on offer and strengthen the group’s position on the north-south routes between Europe and Africa.
Eurokai sees strategic advantages: in particular, Tarros’ direct freight demand and existing customer relationships are expected to help further integrate intermodal transport operations. The aim is to create a joint platform for sea, rail and road transport along the Europe–Mediterranean–North Africa corridor.
A return after almost 30 years
The takeover also marks a return to Contship’s roots. As reported by the industry service Alphaliner, Contship Containerlines – founded in 1969 by Angelo Ravano – was one of the liner shipping companies expanding internationally during the 1980s and 1990s.
Under the leadership of Cecilia Battistello, the company established a global route network. The services connected Europe with, amongst others, the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and the USA.
According to Alphaliner, the fleet reached its peak in the mid-1990s with 27 container ships and a capacity of up to 3,500 TEU. A large proportion of the vessels in service were chartered from German shipowners. Among the most striking vessels were the ‘Contship Germany’ and the ‘Contship Singapore’, which stood out from the industry’s usual appearance with their pink and yellow paintwork respectively.
In 1997, Contship Containerlines was sold to CP Ships. The Canadian liner shipping group was in turn taken over by Hapag-Lloyd in 2005. The Contship brand finally disappeared from the liner shipping sector in 2006. The remaining Contship Group focused on container terminals and intermodal logistics.
