Norton Rose Fulbright has advised H.E.C. (Hellenic Environmental Center) Europe Limited on its acquisition of 100 per cent of the environmental protection business from Hamburg-based Eckelmann Group. The Norton Rose Fulbright team advised H.E.C. on all aspects of the acquisition, including carve-out and tax-related matters.

The acquired environmental protection business of the Eckelmann Group, operating in the field of maritime and industrial liquid waste reception and treatment, comprises of the three companies HÖG Hamburger Ölverwertungs-Gesellschaft mbH, Carl Robert Eckelmann Cleaning und Service GmbH, and Eckelmann Umweltschutz GmbH, all located in the Port of Hamburg and servicing Northern Germany.

H.E.C. Group is a privately-owned Greek group (majority owned by interests of the Melissanidis family). The group started operating in 1993, when it was assigned the project of ship-generated waste reception facilities at the port of Piraeus, and has ever since continuously expanded its business activities and experience. The acquisition of the three companies of Eckelmann’s environmental protection business marks an important step in H.E.C. ’s expansion strategy aiming to build an international platform for environmental protection service centers for liquid wastes.

The Norton Rose Fulbright team in Hamburg was led by partner Klaus von Gierke and of counsel Heiko Bertelmann (both corporate/M&A), and included among others associates Thomas Kirschfink and Jörn Grosch (both corporate/M&A), partner Uwe Eppler, senior associate Alexander von Reuss, (both tax), partner Frank Weberndörfer, associate Wiebke Mattern (both employment and labour), as well as of counsel Felix Dinger (real estate/environmental).