New Delhi: Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) Tuesday said Switzerland-based MSC, the world’s largest shipping transport and logistics conglomerate, will acquire 49 per cent stake in its Vizhinjam port in Kerala for about USD 1.4 billion.
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) will make the acquisition through its arm Terminal Investment Limited (TiL). As per the deal, TiL will invest USD 1.397 billion, equivalent to its proportionate 49 per cent share of total deal value of USD 2.85 billion.
The strategic collaboration represents the single largest foreign private investment in Indian port infrastructure and cements Vizhinjam’s emergence as a dominant transshipment gateway in the Indian Ocean region, APSEZ said in a statement.
“APSEZ… and MSC Group have entered into a definitive agreement under which MSC Group, via its container terminal operating and investing arm, TiL, will invest for 49 per cent interest in Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL), the concessionaire for Vizhinjam port,” it said.
The Vizhinjam port has a capacity of 1.6 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEUs) and is undergoing expansion that will increase its capacity 3.5 times to 5.7 million TEUs by December 2028.
The strategic collaboration will deliver significant advantages for APSEZ, including enhanced volume visibility and accelerated ramp-up ahead of plan, driven by additional cargo volume and higher share of Bangladesh cargo, largely dependent on competing Southeast Asian transshipment hubs.
This will strengthen Adani group’s presence on East Africa trade routes and elevate relay cargo volumes.
Commissioned in December 2024, the Vizhinjam port is India’s first deep-draft mega transshipment port with 1.6 million TEU capacity.
It is strategically located just 10 nautical miles from the East-West shipping route connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf and the Far East.
The port features a natural draft of 18-20m, a 2.9 km breakwater, an 800m berth, and advanced infrastructure, including 8 quay cranes and 24 fully automated yard cranes.
During FY26, Vizhinjam port handled 1.3 million TEUs.
APSEZ also operates 4 international ports across Australia, Colombo, Israel and Tanzania.
APSEZ whole-time Director and CEO Ashwani Gupta said, “Vizhinjam port has emerged as a premier transshipment hub and ramped up at an unprecedented pace, becoming the first Indian port to earn the unique distinction of crossing 2 million TEUs within 18 months of operations.”
TiL is one of the world’s largest container terminal operators and part of the MSC Group, comprising a portfolio of more than 100 container terminals across five continents and a throughput of more than 70 million TEUs per annum.
