Overview

• The original transaction, announced on March 4, would transfer stakes in 43 ports—including the Panama Canal terminals of Balboa and Cristóbal—to a consortium led by BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners and MSC’s Terminal Investment Limited.
• The 145-day exclusive negotiation period ended on July 27 without a signed agreement and Hutchison disclosed no progress by the deadline.
• In a July 28 exchange filing, Hutchison said it plans to invite a major strategic investor from China and restructure the consortium’s membership and deal structure for regulatory clearance.
• Bloomberg reports that state-owned China Cosco Shipping is set to join the buyer group, a development that has lifted Hutchison’s share price to its highest level in 2025.
• If completed, the sale would yield more than $19 billion in net cash but still requires final approvals from Chinese antitrust and security bodies as well as the Panamanian government.