Benchmark International Successfully Facilitated The Transaction Between Mertech Marine And Metier

Mertech Marine (“Mertech”), a South African company, is the global leader in the responsible recovery and recycling of out-of-service submarine telecommunication cables. Since the early 2000s, Mertech has pioneered commercial recovery solutions, processing more than 105,000 kilometres of undersea cable and clearing tens of thousands of tons of material from depots worldwide. With a strong focus on environmental sustainability, the company has displaced an estimated 250,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent through its recovery efforts, contributing significantly to the circular economy.

Metier, through its Sustainable Capital Fund II (MSC II), made the acquisition in line with its strategy of supporting sustainable and resource-efficient infrastructure in Africa. Metier is an independent private equity firm with expertise in mid-cap growth and sustainable capital practices across Sub-Saharan Africa. MSC II focuses on investments that drive environmental and social impact, particularly in sectors such as renewable energy, water, waste management, and resource efficiency.

“Alwyn du Plessis, CEO of Mertech, commented: “We have been fortunate to build long-term partnerships in our journey of growing the business in an exciting, yet challenging environment. We are excited about the Metier team joining us in this new growth chapter. We believe that together we will be able to further the ambitions of the Mertech leadership team beyond what we could imagine today. We have always seen huge opportunity in creating additional value to the recovered materials such as copper, steel, and plastics through enhanced downstream processes. With Metier’s investment and support, this can now be further unlocked.”

John Hannig, who led the transaction on behalf of Metier, said: “We are very excited about our investment into Mertech, which is a demonstration of a global leading circular-economy champion based in Africa. We are partnering with an experienced management team for the next stage of Mertech’s growth at a time when there is increased emphasis on metals recycling and the provision of alternative low-carbon sources of materials, with copper being a fundamental input for the clean energy transition.”

Tiaan Smit, Transaction Director at Benchmark International, commented: “Mertech is a truly unique business, with a management team that has a clear and ambitious vision for the future. As the founding investor, Mergon has played an instrumental role in establishing a business that is well-positioned for continued growth and innovation. We are confident that, with Metier’s investment and support, Mertech will continue to thrive and expand its impact in the circular economy, driving both environmental sustainability and economic value.”

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