PRESS: Delo Group confirms interest to TransContainer

MOSCOW, Apr 24 (PRIME) -- Delo Group of businessman Sergei Shishkaryov will participate in an auction to buy 50% plus two shares in railroad container operator TransContainer from Russian Railways, Shishkaryov told business daily Vedomosti in an interview released on Wednesday.

“Delo has retained a comfortable debt burden, which is proved by a positive dynamics of DeloPorts’s ratings. We’ve announced our intent to participate in a tender or an auction for the controlling stake in TransContainer and we confirm our interest,” Shishkaryov said.

“We will fight for the asset because we see big prospects in organization of multimodal transportation with the use of our terminals in three basins… We are considering the possibility to go to the auction in a consortium with a bank or a fund. We cannot afford such a purchase alone.”

Shishkaryov said that if Delo Group loses the auction for TransContainer, it can compete for Ruscon and develop as a multi-modal operator.

Russian Railways owns 50% plus two shares in TransContainer, while Russia’s second largest bank VTB has a 24.8% stake. Enisey Capital, owned by businessmen Roman Abramovich and Alexei Abramov, has 24.5051%.

(63.7906 rubles – U.S. $1)

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