GLIL buys 30% of wellboat leader Sølvtrans as Antin cashes out fund investors
What's the deal? Antin Infrastructure PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has agreed to sell a 30% stake in Norwegian wellboat operator SølvtransDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to UK investment fund GLIL InfrastructureDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Antin keeps its majority holding alongside founder Roger Halsebakk and his family, while the sale delivers liquidity to investors in Antin's Flagship Fund III. The transaction is expected to close in Q3 2026.
Who are the players? Sølvtrans, based in Ålesund, is the world's largest provider of wellboats — vessels with tanks to transport farmed fish for the aquaculture industry. GLIL is an infrastructure fund set up by pension funds to invest collaboratively.
Why now? GLIL is a UK-based investor, and Sølvtrans runs nine of its wellboats servicing customers in Scotland. That geographic overlap makes the fund what Antin calls "a strong strategic fit" for the next growth phase.
What's the endgame? Since Antin invested in 2018, Sølvtrans has grown its fleet to 48 vessels from 21, expanded into Canada, Iceland, and New Zealand, and diversified beyond salmon into species such as cod. It has eight more wellboats under construction, with options for further newbuilds secured.
What they're saying: "We are delighted to welcome GLIL as our partner in Sølvtrans," said Simon Söder, senior partner at Antin. Jonathan Ord, head of direct infrastructure at LPPI for GLIL, called Sølvtrans "the global market leader in wellboat services, with a significant presence in Scotland."
Deutsche BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → advised Antin, with Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Wikborg Rein, and Barros Advogados Associados as legal counsel. RBC Capital MarketsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → advised GLIL, with White & Case and BAHR as legal counsel.
The signal: The deal reflects long-term infrastructure capital moving into aquaculture, an industry growing its share of global protein supply. For Antin, it is a partial exit that returns cash to fund investors while retaining upside — a familiar play as infrastructure funds seek liquidity in a slower exit market.
Read more: finanznachrichten.de
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