ADM joint venture acquires Brazilian shipping agency

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Archer Daniels Midland Company and Norton Lilly International have announced that their steamship agency joint venture, Agri Port Services, has acquired Brazilian port and shipping agency Blue Ocean Agencia Maritima. ADM was previously a part owner in Blue Ocean.

Blue Ocean services oceangoing vessels at ports throughout Brazil and maintains offices in the strategic ports of Santos and Paranagua. The company serves as a shipping agent for both inbound and outbound vessels, coordinating vessel clearance, loading/discharging operations, vessel logistics and support, vessel resupply, and cargo and customs documentation.

Hans Christian Jensen, Director of Global Ocean Freight, for ADM, said: “ADM’s ability to offer logistics services and expertise throughout the value chain is one of the things that sets us apart, and we are growing our logistics capabilities around the globe.

“We added shipping agency capabilities in eastern Europe when we acquired full ownership of several export facilities on the Black Sea earlier this month. And in April, we announced the launch of ARTCO Stevedoring, which offers bulk stevedoring and crane service, fleeting, harbour and other river services on the lower Mississippi. Now, with our partner Norton Lilly, we are expanding our logistics offerings in Brazil, a large and growing exporter of agricultural products and other bulk commodities. Agri Port Services will now be able to provide one point of contact for ship owners, managers and charterers throughout the Americas.”

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Norton Lilly Chairman Win Thurber added, “We are very excited about the acquisition of Blue Ocean, which allows Agri Port Services to fulfill the vision to have one point of contact for customers in North and South America.” 

Agri Port Services (APS), a steamship agency joint venture between Archer Daniels Midland Company and Norton Lilly International, offers steamship agency services in 70 ports through 39 offices situated in North America. These offices handle approximately 20,000 port calls annually. APS is a one-stop shop for port agency needs, and is one of the premier agencies in North America servicing the bulk agricultural commodity industry. With the acquisition of Blue Ocean, APS will now offer services throughout Brazil. 

Norton Lilly International is headquartered in Mobile, Alabama, and is the oldest and one of the largest providers of agency services in North America, focusing on agency services, brokerage, vessel planning and other marine service activities.

For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company have transformed crops into products that serve the vital needs of a growing world. Today, it is one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with more than 33,000 employees serving customers in more than 140 countries. With a global value chain that includes more than 460 crop procurement locations, 300 ingredient manufacturing facilities, 40 innovation centers and the world’s premier crop transportation network, it connects the harvest to the home, making products for food, animal feed, chemical and energy uses. Learn more at www.adm.com.