The combined business will connect Northern Europe with the Iberian Peninsula, the Canary Islands and West Africa. The transaction is expected to complete on 1 January 2027, subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions. Until then, the two companies will continue to operate independently.
Once the deal completes, the network is expected to include 32 vessels operating 18 routes and serving 28 countries. On land, it will be supported by 21 maritime terminals, five rail terminals and more than 500 company-owned trucks. The group expects to operate a fleet of 35,000 containers, with annual logistics throughput of more than 750,000 TEU.
Both are family-owned businesses and already work together on joint services in Spain. Boluda brings experience in towage, container shipping and port logistics. Samskip, which has Icelandic origins, adds its position in Northern European markets, multimodal expertise and customer base. The companies say that combining sea, rail and road can cut CO₂ emissions compared with moving goods by road alone.
Boluda plans to invest in the enlarged network to increase capacity and add connections. Rotterdam, where Boluda opened new offices in June and where Samskip has a major hub, will become a strategic base for coordinating services across the group.
Samskip will keep its brand, and Ólafur Orri Ólafsson will remain CEO, supporting Samskip’s teams through the integration under the new ownership.
Ignacio Boluda Ceballos, executive chairman of Boluda Shipping, said the group’s goal was to lead European short-sea shipping. He said adding Samskip’s network and expertise gave it the scale to pursue that ambition, with significant potential to strengthen links across Europe and with West Africa.
“By bringing our complementary strengths together, we can expand what we offer our customers while building on the expertise, commitment and service they rely on every day,” Ólafsson said.