“I hope that their decision is just a pause for reflection, After August, I trust it will be possible to resume the process through a constructive dialogue between buyer and seller, respecting the need for a balanced approach with the regulating bodies. The president of the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority, Luciano Guerrieri, comments on MSC’s decision not to proceed with the acquisition of Terminal Darsena Toscana.
The news of the formal withdrawal from the transaction notification, made public by the Antitrust Authority in its latest weekly bulletin, worries Mr. Guerrieri. He recommends caution. “In January this year, I was cautiously positive about the news of MSC’s acquisition of TDT,” he says, pointing out the lengthy approval process the deal would have to go through before being formally completed.
“I still have the same cautious approach to the news of their offer being withdrawn, because we don’t know the reasons for their decision yet,” Mr. Guerrieri adds. He is nonetheless “convinced that Livorno port still represents a strategic choice for operators interested in developing the container sector and other types of traffic, and that current and future conditions are in place for working and competing in the free market.”
Translation by Giles Foster