Hoisting and transport company Mammoet takes over its British counterpart ALE Heavylift. According to Het Financieele Dagblad, the new Dutch-British combination is well above the turnover limit of 1 billion euros, making it by far the largest lifting company in the world.

Mammoet and ALE complement each other in their own words in a geographical presence on all continents.

“Together we have a balanced portfolio of activities worldwide. This allows us to improve our service offering and create synergies, because we can quickly mobilize equipment and staff everywhere,” said Mammoet chief executive Paul van Gelder in a statement. Thousands of people work together at the companies.

No financial details were disclosed about the deal. The completion of the transaction is still subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities. Until then, Mammoet and ALE will continue to operate independently.

Mammoet is incidentally part of SHV, the trade conglomerate or the Fentener van Vlissingen family. The company from Schiedam gained worldwide fame at the beginning of this century by hoisting the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk together with the Rotterdam salvage company Smit. The Kursk sank in the Barents Sea in 2000; all 118 persons were killed.