“My administration is going to recover the Panama Canal and we have already begun to do it.” Donald Trump took advantage of his speech before the United States Congress to again claim control of this key infrastructure for global maritime transport. The Panama Canal has become one of the recurring issues in Trump’s interventions since he won the presidential elections in November. Now, at the beginning of March, an investment giant, the American firm Blackrock, has taken the shareholding of the two ports of this infrastructure.
This movement, in purely business theory, has allowed Trump to sign up for being able to ensure that, from now on, the Panama Canal will be something more American than a few weeks ago. At the same time, Blackrock is reinforced as a key operator for transport, because he owns a global port network and, also, airports. In Spain, he is a known investor because he owns 20.6% of the Naturgy energy group and maintains a relevant position in a good part of the IBEX companies.
As for the operation itself, Blackrock leads the consortium that will take control of a network of dozens of ports, among which are the Panamanians. Buy them from Hong Kong CK Hutchison firm. This week they have closed a transaction valued 22.8 billion dollars, the equivalent of more than 21,100 million euros to the current change, although there are still pending fringes, for example, several administrative authorizations. In that consortium, the baton is carried by the investment firm, but the MSC load and cruise ship operator is also present.
For weeks, Trump was claiming the channel. On several occasions, he pointed out that China had done their effective control and that American ships have been paying too much to operate through this infrastructure. “Panama is trying at high speed to end 64% of the posters written in Chinese. They are throughout the area, because China controls the Panama Canal. Panama is not going to go out with yours! ”Trump said through its platform Social truth.
This channel is a key axis for world trade, but it is also true that one of its best moments is not living. A few months ago, it simply saturated, because it could not work normally due to the lack of water, a consequence of a persistent drought, which resulted in a ship jam.
An operator with global interests
Apart from the arguments used by Donald Trump, the relevant in this corporate megaoperation – for the moment, is one of the most relevant in terms of the amount of 2025 – is that not only the Panamanian port infrastructure are involved. The transaction entails that the consortium will be done with the majority participation, of 80%, which has maintained the CK Hutchison in companies that possess, operate and develop more than 40 ports in 23 countries. An agreement from which port infrastructure is excluded in China. The other 20% stays in the hands of the Singapore Sovereign Fund, TeMek.
Blackrock has channeled this purchase through Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). The latter is the firm through which the American giant has controlled Naturgy for months. “These ports facilitate global growth,” justified Blackrock, Larry Fink over the reason for this corporate movement that makes one of the objectives of the Republican administration come true. Fink, according to Financial Timeshe informed both Donald Trump, and the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, before taking the step of investing in the ports of the Panamanian Canal. It also ensures that the operation has negotiated and sealed in just a few weeks.
Through GIP, the American fund megestor already had some of the most relevant ports in portfolio. For example, in Australia, those of Melbourne or Brisbane or Yarmouth, in the United Kingdom. Also, participate in the company of Port Load Terminal Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), present in Singapore, Antwerp or in the Port of Valencia. And airports, such as Gatwick, London City or Edimburg, as well as the Italian Italian Italian trains Italo. According to GIP, among all its participated, the value of value of 71,000 million dollars.
It is also the first great Blackrock operation through GIP since it is its owner. He agreed his purchase a little over a year for 12.5 billion dollars, more than 11,500 million euros to the current exchange. “The infrastructure represents a generational investment opportunity,” Larry Fink argued by explaining that acquisition, which at the end of 2024 – before the purchase of Hutchison ports – added 300 investments in a hundred countries.
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