TODAY marks the end of APT’s long-term investment in AmaWaterways, with the Australian tour operator parting with 100% of its stake in the United States-based line.
A new investor, L Catterton, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a significant stake in AmaWaterways, symbolically ending a 20-year partnership between the cruise line and APT, the Australian operator’s Co-owner & Director Lou Tandy confirmed to Cruise Weekly.
L Catterton will partner with AmaWaterways founders Rudi Schreiner, Kristin Karst, and the Murphy family, who will maintain “meaningful ownership” in the cruise line.
AmaWaterways will officially continue its partnership with the Australian company through to the end of the year, beyond which the two firms will go their separate ways.
The US-based line, which recently opened an office in Australia (CW 15 Dec), has been booking its own local guests for next year, while APT will launch its own two five-star river ships in 2025, APT Solara and APT Ostara (CW 22 Aug) which have been designed “specifically with the sophisticated Australian traveller in mind”.
“This has been an enormously successful partnership for 20 years, we’ve had a highly successful partnership in terms of shared ownership and the charter arrangement…the transaction that has taken place is a fantastic result for AmaWaterways,” Tandy told CW.
“We are really proud and delighted to have been part of the success story of AmaWaterways,” she added.
“I think this transaction has been a win-win for everyone…overall, we’ve got the utmost respect for Rudi, Kristin, and the business they have built.” MS