AD Ports Group has acquired Corredor Logística e Infraestrutura (CLI), a Brazilian agri-bulk port terminal operator.
Based in São Paulo, CLI operates two key export terminals under long-term concessions: CLI Sul at the Port of Santos, focused on sugar exports alongside corn and soybeans, and CLI Norte at the Port of Itaqui, part of Brazil’s northern “Arc of the North” logistics corridor serving emerging agricultural export flows.
The region recorded the fastest terminal growth in Brazil in 2025, underlining its increasing role in the country’s export network.
CLI is owned by Macquarie Asset Management and IG4 Capital. The acquisition gives AD Ports Group full ownership of CLI Norte and an 80 per cent stake in CLI Sul.
The transaction has an enterprise value of AED 3.1 billion ($835 million) and is expected to close in the second half of the year, subject to regulatory approvals. CLI’s senior management will remain in place.
AD Ports Group, Managing Director & Group CEO, Captain Mohamed Juma Al ShamisI, said: “The purchase of CLI is a game changer for AD Ports Group. 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.
“Under the wise guidance of our leadership in the United Arab Emirates, AD Ports Group is committed to enabling trade in one of the world’s most-important, fastest-growing agricultural commodities markets.”
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The group said the deal strengthens its broader strategy to build an East–West trade corridor linking South America with the Indian Subcontinent, East Africa and Southeast Asia, alongside expanding UAE–Mercosur trade ties.
Brazil is already a key market for Emirati investment, with bilateral projects supported by a growing trade and investment framework.
The acquisition is AD Ports Group’s largest to date, exceeding its 2023 purchase of Noatum and its 2024 investment in Global Feeder Shipping.
The group has also expanded its agri-bulk footprint across Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Jordan and Spain through recent terminal investments.
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CLI handled 17 million tonnes of agri-bulk cargo in 2025, generating AED 654 million ($178 million) in revenue and AED 360 million ($98 million) in EBITDA.
The terminals sit on structurally constrained export corridors, particularly Santos, where limited capacity and congestion are expected to support long-term utilisation.
Macquarie Asset Management and IG4 Capital said the platform is well-positioned for continued growth under its new owner, while AD Ports Group sees the asset as a foundation for wider regional expansion in Latin America.
For more information:
AD Ports – https://www.adportsgroup.com/
