NEW YORK CITY — An investment group led by asset manager BlackRock has announced a deal to acquire two ports on either end of the Panama Canal for a total of $23 billion, including $5 billion of debt. Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holding, a global conglomerate of ports, infrastructure and telecommunications, is the seller. The investment consortium, which is doing business as BlackRock-TiL Consortium and also includes BlackRock subsidiary Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment Limited, will purchase all of CK Hutchison Holding’s shares in Hutchison Port Holdings and Hutchison Port Group Holdings. The ports involved in the transaction include those of Balboa and Cristobal. Hutchison Ports was recently awarded a 25-year, no-bid extension to operate the ports, according to AP News. However, an audit of the extension was already underway at the time of the deal. Upon completion of the acquisition, which must be approved by Panama’s government, BlackRock will have consortium control of 43 ports across 23 countries. This news follows expressions of concern from U.S. government officials that Chinese influence could affect dealings in the canal. The United States controlled the Panama Canal, as well as surrounding land called the “canal zone,” between 1903 and 1999. The canal took …
