Akva Group board agrees £463 million sale to Yanmar
One of the world’s biggest aquaculture suppliers, Akva Group, looks set to be sold to Japanese industrial company Yanmar in a deal worth NOK 5.9 billion (£463.2 million).
Yanmar has set a condition to obtain at least 90% of shares in Akva, and major shareholders representing approximately 92% of Akva’s shares have agreed to sell their stakes to the company. Akva’s board has recommended other shareholders to accept the offer.
The transaction requires regulatory approvals in several countries.
If the acquisition is completed, Yanmar will forcibly redeem any remaining shareholders and seek to have Akva Group delisted from the Oslo Stock Exchange.
Shareholders are being offered NOK 161 per Akva share in cash, which represents a premium of 57% compared to the closing trading price of NOK 102.5 for the shares on Euronext Oslo Børs on April 7, 2026, which was the last trading day prior to announcement of Akva’s strategic review.
The shareholders who have already given irrevocable undertakings to sell include:
Egersund Group AS
Israel Corporation LTD
all members of the Board and the executive management of Akva
Pareto Asset Management AS, including discretionary portfolios managed by Pareto Asset Management AS
Nordea Investment Management AB
Alfred Berg
A platform for expansion
In a press release, Akva said Yanmar’s 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.
“Akva has built a unique position in the global aquaculture industry over more than five decades,” said the company’s chief executive, Knut Nesse.
“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.”
Exciting opportunities
Tetsuya Yamamoto, executive vice president and representative director of Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd, said: “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.”
Barring unforeseen circumstances, it is expected that the share offer will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Yanmar is best known in aquaculture for its marine diesel engines but has evolved into a broad industrial conglomerate serving multiple end markets, including agriculture, marine, construction, industrial engines and energy systems, says Akva. Today, Yanmar operates across the globe with the majority of its revenues generated outside Japan.
