Swiss trader Ameropa builds EUR 44 mln terminal in Romania’s Constanta port

Swiss agri-business group Ameropa will build a new grain export terminal in Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta. The total investment amounts to EUR 44 million and will take 24 months to complete, according to the group’s representatives. “The new world-scale terminal will add handling capacity of more than 2 million tons of grain per annum in the port of Constanta, which has become an important hub for the increasing production of grains in the Danube region,” Ameropa announced in a press release. Ameropa owns the Chimpex terminal in Constanta, which it took over together with fertilizer producer Azomures, in early-2012. Chimpex is one of the biggest terminals in the Constanta port, specialized in handling grains, feedstuff, fertilizers, and sugar. Chimpex had a turnover of EUR 23.8 million and a net profit of EUR 6.1 million, in 2014. The company had almost 250 employees. Ameropa also owns Azomures, Romania’s biggest fertilizer plant, which had EUR 375 million sales in 2014 and a net profit of EUR 27.4 million, according to official data from the Finance Ministry. The Swiss group recently announced it has invested some EUR 200 million in modernizing the plant. The investments were aimed at reducing the environmental impact, and increasing the Urea production by almost 60%. “With this investment (in the new terminal – e.n.), as well as with the concomitant revamping of our fertilizer plant Azomures, our Romanian assets will fulfill the high EU standards in terms of efficiency, emissions and safety and will therefore be well placed for the future,“ said Andreas Zivy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ameropa Holding. His group also owns one of Romania’s biggest grain traders, Ameropa Grains, which had EUR 492 million in revenues, in 2014, and a net profit of EUR 3.6 million. Romanian chemical fertilizer sells 66% of production locally Romania’s largest fertilizer factory Azomures secures financing for EUR 66 mln investment Romanian fertilizer producer invests EUR 200 mln in new equipment editor@romania-insider.com