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CLI is Brazilian agri-bulk terminal operator.

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AD Ports Group acquires CLI

AD Ports enters Latin America with $835 million CLI acquisition.
  • Acquisition gives AD Ports access to Brazil's major grain and sugar export corridors through terminals at Santos and Itaqui.
  • CLI handled 17 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, generating AED 654 million revenue and AED 360 million EBITDA.

Dubai, UAE — AD Ports Group said on Tuesday it had agreed to acquire Brazilian agri-bulk terminal operator Corredor Logística e Infraestrutura (CLI) for an enterprise value of AED 3.1 billion ($835 million), marking its entry into the Latin American market.

The Abu Dhabi-listed ports and logistics group said it would acquire CLI from joint owners Macquarie Asset Management and IG4 Capital, subject to regulatory and antitrust approvals. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of the year.

CLI operates two key agricultural export terminals in Brazil under long-term concessions: CLI Sul at the Port of Santos, a major sugar, corn and soybean export hub, and CLI Norte at the Port of Itaqui in the country’s fast-growing northern export corridor.

AD Ports said the acquisition would position it among South America’s leading independent agri-bulk terminal operators and provide a platform for further expansion in the region.

“The purchase of CLI is a game changer for AD Ports Group,” Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi said in a statement.

The deal extends AD Ports’ international footprint into Latin America for the first time and supports its strategy of expanding its agrifoods business, one of the group’s core sectors, he added.

Brazil is the world’s largest sugar exporter and one of the largest exporters of grains. AD Ports said the acquisition would support plans to develop trade links between South America, the Indian subcontinent, East Africa and Southeast Asia.

CLI handled 17 million tonnes of agri-bulk cargo in 2025 and generated revenue of AED 654 million ($178 million) and EBITDA of AED 360 million ($98 million), according to AD Ports.

The company owns 100% of CLI Norte and an 80% stake in CLI Sul. AD Ports said CLI’s existing senior management team would remain in place following completion of the transaction.

The acquisition is AD Ports’ largest to date, surpassing its AED 2.65 billion acquisition of Spanish logistics company Noatum in 2023 and its AED 1.9 billion purchase of a 51% stake in Dubai-based Global Feeder Shipping in 2024.