MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian developer and transport operator Severstaltrans Group said Friday it plans to buy a 50% stake in the company from Severstal [RTS: CHMF] owner Alexei Mordashov.
The stake will go to company executives Konstantin Nikolayev, Nikita Mishin and Andrei Filatov, who will together own 100% of Severstaltrans, the company said in a statement.
Severstaltrans Group recently made a number of acquisitions in northwestern Russia and the Baltic state of Estonia, which prompted media speculation that the company is laboring on behalf of Kremlin interests.
The company said in March it closed a deal to buy the St. Petersburg-based Petrolesport (PLP) stevedore company.
"Acquisition of PLP is part of the company's plans to expand its container [transport] business," Mishin, a member of Severstaltrans Group Board of Directors, said.
The company said earlier it is planning an investment program to increase the volume of container operations to 1.5-2 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) a year.
The programs include the building of container terminals in Russia's Far East, specifically at the ports of Vladivostok and Vostochny.
