Deutsche Bahn (DB) has chosen the four finalists for the sale of DB Schenker. The last contenders are Danish shipping giants Maersk and DSV, the Saudi national shipping carrier Bahri and a partnership between investments funds CVC Capital Partners, Carlyle Group and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. This means that MSC is no longer in the race.

DB aims at gathering the final bids by July, as Reuters mentioned. Last week, DB received confirmatory bids from the various parties interested in acquiring DB Schenker. The last four bidders will have the opportunity to submit more detailed offers during the coming weeks. A final agreement should be expected to be signed this year, with the sale being finalised in 2025.

DB decided to sell its logistics arm DB Schenker in order to cover its outstanding debt, which Reuters set at 34 billion euros. The price for DB Schenker should revolve around 15 billion euros, which should cover almost half of DB’s financial hole. The sale of DB Schenker was officialised by DB in December 2023. By January 2024, over 20 parties put their names in the hat, showing their interest in purchasing the German logistics giant. Now, only four have remained standing, but only one will take home the prize.

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