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UAE's AD Ports acquires Brazil's port terminal operator CLI for Dh3 billion
It is the largest-ever M&A transaction conducted by AD Ports Group and the deal is expected to be completed in the second half of this year, subject to regulatory approvals
- PUBLISHED: Tue 2 Jun 2026, 4:50 PM
UAE's AD Ports Group on Tuesday said it entered the South American market by acquiring Corredor Logística e Infraestrutura (CLI), Brazil's leading independent agri-bulk port terminal operator, for Dh3.1 billion ($835 million).
São Paulo-based CLI operates two of Brazil's agri-bulk export terminals under long-term concessions – CLI Sul and CLI Norte.
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In 2025, ports and terminals in northern Brazil recorded the fastest growth in the country, reinforcing the strategic role of the "Arc of the North" corridor in reshaping the nation's logistics map.
The two terminals play a key role in connecting the producing regions of Brazil, the world's leading sugar exporter and one of the largest grain exporters, to the world.
It is the largest-ever M&A transaction conducted by AD Ports Group.
AD Ports Group agreed to acquire CLI from joint owners Macquarie Asset Management and IG4 Capital. CLI owns 100 per cent of CLI Norte, which operates a terminal at the Port of Itaqui, and 80 per cent of CLI Sul, which operates a terminal at the Port of Santos.
The deal is expected to be completed in the second half of the year, subject to regulatory approvals.
It has also been agreed that CLI's existing senior management team will remain in place to continue running the company.
"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," said Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of AD Ports Group.
The UAE is in advanced negotiations with Mercosur, the South American trading bloc that includes Brazil, to establish a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Emirati investments in Brazil are estimated to be approximately $5 billion in total, according to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 2025, CLI handled a combined 17 million tonnes of agri-bulk cargo and delivered revenue of Dh654 million, generating an EBITDA of Dh360 million.
The purchase of CLI is AD Ports Group's largest acquisition to date, following the Group's Dh2.65 billion purchase of Spain's Noatum in 2023 and its Dh1.9 billion purchase of a 51 per cent stake in Dubai-based Global Feeder Shipping (GFS) in early 2024.
