AD Ports Group has acquired CLI, a Brazilian agricultural bulk port operator, from Macquarie Asset Management and IG4 Capital in a Dh3.1 billion deal — the largest acquisition in the Abu Dhabi company’s history.

The transaction gives AD Ports access to two of Brazil’s most strategically important agricultural export terminals: CLI Sul at the Port of Santos, Brazil’s largest sugar export terminal and a major gateway for corn and soybean exports, and CLI Norte at the Port of Itaqui, part of Brazil’s growing northern agricultural export corridor.

The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory and antitrust approvals. BTG Pactual advised AD Ports Group on the transaction, while Citi advised the sellers.

Strategic Rationale

AD Ports said the acquisition will support plans to create new trade routes linking Brazil directly with Khalifa Port and the Abu Dhabi Food Hub in KEZAD, one of the region’s largest food trade and logistics hubs.

“The purchase of CLI is a game changer for AD Ports Group,” said Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO. “The transaction extends our Group’s international reach for the first time into Latin America, and deepens our growing agrifoods activities, one of our core verticals.”

In 2025, CLI handled 17 million tonnes of agri-bulk cargo and generated Dh654 million in revenue, with EBITDA reaching Dh360 million.

A Growing Portfolio

The CLI deal surpasses AD Ports’ previous major international acquisitions, including the Dh2.65 billion acquisition of Spain’s Noatum in 2023 and the Dh1.9 billion purchase of a 51 percent stake in Dubai-based Global Feeder Shipping in 2024.

The company has been expanding its agrifood logistics business across Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia, including a grain handling facility at Karachi Port in Pakistan, a grain terminal investment in Kazakhstan, and a 30-year concession to operate the Aqaba multipurpose port in Jordan.

Broader Trade Context

The acquisition supports growing trade ties between the UAE and Brazil. The UAE is currently negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Mercosur, the South American trade bloc that includes Brazil. Emirati investments in Brazil are estimated at around $5 billion, according to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For ongoing coverage of UAE trade and logistics, visit Business of Dubai.

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