Dentons: Stena Line acquires an interest in Africa Morocco Links
Dentons’ Casablanca, Madrid and Paris offices assisted Stena Line, among the world’s largest ferry companies with over 33,000 yearly sailings with over 6,100 employees, on the acquisition from Attica Group, an international ferry company based in Greece, of an interest of 49% in Africa Morocco Links which operates ferry lines between Morocco and Spain in the Strait of Gibraltar.
The completion of the transaction took place on 12 June 2024 after the satisfaction of several conditions (including the merger control clearance in Morocco) simultaneously with the acquisition by Compagnie de Transports au Maroc (CTM) of the remaining 51% of Africa Morocco Links from Bank Of Africa.
Dentons’team
The cross-border team advising on the deal included partner Christophe Simonnet (pictured left) and associate Aya Rochd (pictured right) on the acquisition aspects and the Moroccan aspects of the Morocco Star vessel by Stena Line and Mehdi Megzari (partner) who handled the antitrust aspects and the merger control filing in Casablanca, Jesús Durán (partner), Jorge Carmona Escudero (counsel) and, Juan Gamón March (associate) in Madrid and Olivier Genevois (partner) in Paris on the acquisition aspects.
On the acquisition
Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line, underscored the strategic importance of the transaction, emphasizing the role of the Strait of Gibraltar as a pivotal hub for both passengers traveling between Africa and Europe, and for global trade. This move comes as Morocco’s industrial growth and international trade prospects continue to flourish and coincides with the launching by Morocco of a wide-ranging initiative to boost its shipping sector.