• Asian company offered USD 17.33 for each share
The Board of Directors of AKVA and Pontos Bidco, a Norwegian private limited liability company indirectly owned by Japanese Yanmar Holdings, announced some days ago that they have entered into a transaction agreement for a recommended voluntary cash offer by the Offeror to acquire all issued and outstanding shares in AKVA. A cash consideration of USD 17.33 will be offered for each share. The offer values all issued and outstanding shares at an aggregate of approximately USD 634.98 million.
Yanmar has expressed that the offer is intended to provide AKVA a platform to scale, by leveraging Yanmar‘s capabilities, global resources and patient capital, as a long-term industrial owner.
“We are very pleased to have this opportunity to partner with AKVA, a company that has established a leading position in global aquaculture,” said Tetsuya Yamamoto, Executive Vice President and Representative Director of Yanmar Holdings. “By combining complementary technologies and global resources, we believe there are exciting opportunities for AKVA and Yanmar to form a strong combination delivering next-generation integrated and technology-enabled solutions to sea-based and land-based aquaculture operators.”
The offer is a result of the strategic review initiated by the Board of Directors of AKVA, as announced on 8 April 2026, with the aim to maximize shareholder value. Following announcement of the strategic review, the company received high-quality interest regarding a potential sale of the company, and AVKA and its advisors have been in dialogue with several interested parties to evaluate the viability and the potential terms for a transaction.
They explained that, after careful consideration of the company’s available options, the board’s assessment is that the offer represents the most attractive alternative to maximize shareholder value. The board has therefore unanimously resolved to recommend that the shareholders accept the offer.
Long-Term Potential
The board, reported AVKA, believes that Yanmar, as a long-term industrial owner, can support AKVA in realizing its long-term potential through access to complementary technologies, global capabilities and resources.
“AKVA has built a unique position in the global aquaculture industry over more than five decades. Following a comprehensive strategic review and with strong support from our largest shareholders, we believe the Offer represents the best solution for both AKVA and our current shareholders. By combining AKVA’s industry-leading aquaculture expertise with Yanmar’s global industrial capabilities, technology base and long-term ownership perspective, we see substantial potential to create value for customers and further strengthen the Company’s growth and innovation agenda,” commented Knut Nesse, CEO of AKVA Group.
Family-Owned Business
Yanmar is a diversified global industrial group with over a century of engineering heritage and a deeply rooted culture of innovation. Founded in 1912, Yanmar is a family-owned business now led by Takehito Yamaoka, President and Representative Director. Yanmar has over time evolved from its origins in diesel engine manufacturing into a broad industrial conglomerate serving multiple end markets, including agriculture, marine, construction industrial engines and energy systems.
Today, Yanmar operates across the globe with the majority of its revenues generated outside Japan. As a family-owned company, they have maintained a long-term strategic orientation that emphasizes innovation, technological excellence, product reliability, strong customer ties embedded in a reliable global aftermarket services platform and sustained value creation.
The Japanese company has an impressive track record of acquiring and integrating businesses to accelerate growth and has in its dialogue with the Board expressed its conviction that completion of the Offer would establish a strong platform for long-term value creation by combining complementary technologies, expanding global market reach, and strengthening the combined groups’ position as a trusted partner to the global aquaculture industry
Global Technology and Service Partner
AKVA group is a global technology and service partner that delivers technology and services that help solve biological challenges within the aquaculture industry. Good operational performance and fish welfare ensure sustainability and profitability for the customer. This is the premise for everything we deliver, from single components to services and complete installations. In-depth aquaculture knowledge, extensive experience and a high capacity for innovation characterize and enable us to deliver the best solutions for both land-based and sea-based fish farming.
