Royal Vopak (Vopak) announces that it has reached agreement in principle with Interstream Barging and Van der Sluijs Groep on the contribution of its entire subsidiary, Vopak Barging Europe, to Interstream Barging, an existing joint venture of Vopak and Van der Sluijs Groep. At the same time, it has been agreed that Van der Sluijs Tankrederij, a subsidiary of Van der Sluijs Groep, will also be contributed to Interstream Barging. All activities will then take place under the name Interstream Barging. In this way, Interstream Barging, which is established in Dordrecht (the Netherlands) and Düsseldorf (Germany), will extend its existing area of operations of transporting mineral oils into the shipment of chemical products.

The merger of Interstream Barging and Vopak Barging Europe will be in the form of an acquisition of all of Vopak Barging Europe’s shares by Interstream Barging and has no consequences for the employees of either organisation. After the integration, Interstream Barging will have a fleet of 95 inland vessels available and will, therefore, be one of the largest tanker transporters in north-western Europe. This increase in scale will allow Interstream Barging to further strengthen its position and offer customers more flexibility, which will provide increased transport certainty.

The final agreement is expected to be signed during the summer, subject to the approval of the relevant employee representatives and the German and Dutch competition authorities.

For more information
Royal Vopak
Corporate Communication & Investor Relations
Rolf Brouwer
Telephone : +31 (0)10 4002777
E-mail  : corporate.communication@vopak.com
Website : www.vopak.com

Profile of Vopak
Royal Vopak is the world's largest independent tank terminal operator specialising in the storage and handling of liquid and gaseous chemical and oil products. On request, Vopak can provide complementary logistics services for customers at its terminals. Vopak operates 74 terminals with a storage capacity of over 21 million cbm in 30 countries. The terminals are strategically located for users and the major shipping routes. The majority of its customers are companies operating in the chemical and oil industries, for which Vopak stores a large variety of products destined for a wide range of industries.

Profile of Van der Sluijs Groep
Van der Sluijs Groep combines all activities involved in selling, storing and transporting mineral oils by land and over water. Part of the product flow within this integrated chain is executed by the company itself, while the remainder is offered as a service to oil companies and traders. With annual revenue of over € 3.8 billion, Van der Sluijs Groep is one of the largest independent companies in the Netherlands. Its fleet of inland vessels handles transport to the terminals.
The 12 terminals in the Netherlands and Belgium are the core of the group. The trading department is responsible for the purchase of all mineral oils for the group and operates on the international oil markets, focusing on Western Europe. The trading company is responsible for oil sales in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.