Kassel, Germany-Linea Ltd., Hamilton, Bermuda, has acquired 6.75 percent of the shares in K+S Aktiengesellschaft as of Sept. 10, 2007. Linea, manages, among other things, the company’s engagement in the EuroChem Mineral and Chemical Co., Moscow. Linea is identified as the investment vehicle of Andrei Melnichenko, the Russian billionaire who owns the bulk of EuroChem. The purchase was reported to have boosted K+S stock prices and spurred speculation of a takeover attempt or joint venture between K+S and EuroChem in a new $2 billion potash mine (See related brief).
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain