Henrik Lind's investment fund Polaris is reported to have postponed a sales process for Danish ferry owner Molslinjen.
Sources told the Finans daily that a $1.1bn transaction was due to be concluded around Easter, but the coronavirus turmoil has ended any hope of completing a deal for now.
Almost all debt-financed acquisitions have been halted worldwide, according to US analyst Abacus Finance.
Icelandic fish processing company Samherji had to seek special permission from the country's financial regulator to pull out of a mandatory takeover of container line Eimskip this week.
Polaris was reported to have begun the sales process last June, with the help of FIH Partners.
Finans said that only a handful of buyers had submitted bids and had embarked on due diligence.
Due diligence proving difficult
But the pandemic has made it impossible for physical inspections and meetings to take place.
Neither company has commented on the sales process.
But Molslinjen chairman Frantz Paludan said last year that the company had undergone a major transformation since it was delisted.
In March 2017, its services in the Kattegat were renamed from Mols-Linien to Molslinjen, while the Bornholms services are known as Bornholmslinjen.
Clarksons lists the company as controlling seven passenger and car vessels.
It was formed by Danish ro-ro owner DFDS in 1964.
Twenty years later, DFDS sold it and Grenaa-Hundested Linien to J Lauritzen.
Then in 1988, it was sold to Danish investment company DIFKO.
In 1999, Mols-Linien merged with Scandlines subsidiary Cat-Link and Scandlines sold its holding to the Clipper Group in 2008.
In 2018, Clipper disposed of its 50% holding in Danish Ferries to Molslinjen for $92m.
