March 8 (SeeNews) - Montenegro's government said on Thursday that Dubai-based conglomerate DP World has expressed interest in the privatisation of majority state-owned port operator Luka Bar [MNG:LUBA].
The company has expressed readiness to take over the management of Luka Bar, the Montenegrin government said in a statement following a meeting between prime minister Dusko Markovic and the chairman and CEO of DP World, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem.
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"My goal and the government's goal is to put resources into development, which will benefit Montenegro and its citizens," Markovic said, as quoted in the statement.
In October, Montenegrin transport minister Osman Nurkovic said the government has not given up plans to privatise Luka Bar after the talks for the sale of a 30% state-owned stake in the port operator to Polish OT Logistic were terminated earlier in 2017.
In December 2016, OT Logistics placed the sole bid in a tender for the sale of 30% of Luka Bar, offering 8.52 million euro ($10.5 million) for the stake. In January 2016, the Polish company made also the sole bid for the privatisation of 51% of railway freight operator Montecargo, offering 2.5 million euro and committing to a 17.45 million euro investment programme.
However, in April, Nurkovic said that the government had terminated the talks for the sale of Luka Bar and Montecargo to OT Logistics as the selected privatisation model was not in the best interests of the seller.
($ = 0.8084 euro)