Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC Group) is reportedly moving close to striking a deal to pick up a minority stake in PSA International’s new terminal at India’s Nhava Sheva Port (JNPT).

PSA Mumbai, also known as Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals (BMCT), began Phase I operations in February 2019, with a capacity of 2.4 million TEUs annually. The Singapore-based company was awarded a 30-year concession for the public-private-partnership (PPP) project in 2014, involving a total investment of US$1 billion.

According to industry sources, MSC Group is eyeing a 26% stake in the terminal, the second phase of which is under construction and targeted for commissioning in early 2026.

“In return for the stake buy, MSC is expected to get dedicated access to a 400-metre berth in Phase II of BMCT’s capacity,” sources told Container News. “This means significant operational and commercial advantages for the carrier.”

The Geneva-based liner has a string of weekly calls at Nhava Sheva, which deploy some of the largest vessels in trades out of India. Most of MSC’s larger services currently call at DP World Nhava Sheva, while some have berthing windows at BMCT.

The PSA partnership will likely lead to concentration of MSC calls at BMCT. According to industry observers, exclusive berthing rights in a single berth could accommodate up to seven calls a week, making up about 1 million TEUs annually.

“Carriers that have long-term growth plans for India are increasingly looking at adequate terminal capacity in the North Western region where the supply-demand scenario is expected to remain tight in the mid-to-long term as the economy expands,” an analyst said.

BMCT’s every phase has been designed with three berths, featuring a quay length of 1,000 metres and sophisticated harbour equipment capable of handling 16,000 to 18,000 TEU capacity vessels.

The acquisition move, if it materialises, could heat up intra-port competition at Nhava Sheva, as CMA CGM Group recently won a 30-year concession to modernise and operate the port’s oldest box terminal under an equal-ownership joint venture with Mumbai-based JM Baxi Group.

Both MSC and CMA CGM already have established terminal partnerships with Adani Group's Mundra Port.

Additionally, Bollore Africa Logistics, which MSC acquired last year, owns 49% of Dakshin Bharat Gateway Terminal, the busiest container handler at India’s Tuticorin Port, also known as V.O. Chidambaranar.

PSA Mumbai has logged impressive throughput growth in recent years, racking up 1.71 million TEUs in fiscal 2022-23. The terminal already hosts more than 10 weekly scheduled containership sailings.

Nhava Sheva Port includes two box facilities operated by DP World and one by APM Terminals.

The Abu Dhabi-based facilitator of logistics, industry, and trade, AD Ports Group, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China Machinery Engineering Group Corporation (CMEC GROUP), a state-owned key enterprise directly managed by the central government of China aimed at fostering infrastructure development on a global scale.

Under the agreement, the two entities will explore collaboration opportunities across various regions, with a focus on the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe.

the companies will cooperate in various sectors, including global industry and infrastructure development, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance, leveraging their respective strengths and expertise.

Additionally, the partnership will extend to global economic cities and free zone development, as well as international logistics.

Valid for three years, the MoU seeks to achieve mutual benefits and establish a long-term strategic cooperative relationship based on trust and shared resources, aiming to expand the global logistics market.

The 2,778 TEU container ship KMTC Shenzhen experienced a fire off Port Klang in Malaysia on 12 August, according to the UK insurance company WK Webster.

It is reported that at least three fire-fighting tugs were deployed to assist in the fire incident, in conjunction with the local fire brigade, which was brought under control within two hours.

The 2013-built boxship had 18 crew members and 1,189 containers onboard, but no injuries have been reported at the time of writing.

WK Webster noted that nine boxes located in the forward section of the vessel are reported to have been affected by the fire. "Other cargo stowed in the vicinity of the fire may be affected by heat, smoke and/or wet damage as a consequence of the fire-fighting operation," added the company.

Work on India's long-awaited mega deep-water port project at Vadhavan, some 120 miles north of Nhava Sheva Port (JNPA), is ready to take off.

The project was approved by the Indian government in 2020 for development under a public-private partnership (PPP) model at an estimated cost of about US$9 billion. A special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed between JNPA, with a 74% stake, and the Maharashtra Maritime Board, holding the remainder 26% ownership, has the mandate to build and operate the project.

Vadhavan has been conceived and designed as a satellite facility to Nhava Sheva as the latter had become saturated with little room for further capacity additions.

However, various mandatory approval delays stalled the new project’s progress.

The consortium has now received all approvals to kick off construction, according to JNPA.

“The application filed by JNPA for grant of permission to establish and develop a major port, that is Vadhavan Port, is granted and the applicant-JNPA is permitted to establish and develop Vadhavan Port at Vadhavan,” a statement said.

The statement added, “With JN Port set to exhaust its full capacity of 10 million TEUs after the ongoing projects are commissioned, and unable to be dredged further from the 15-metre draught, Vadhavan will be developed as a deep draught port to cater to large container, bulk and crude vessels.”

JNPA went on to explain, “The objective is to augment and develop a greenfield facility to handle the growing traffic demand of ports on the west coast.”

The potential of Vadhavan stems from two factors: the site has deep natural depth of 20 meters that can accommodate vessels of up to 25,000 TEU capacity and its access to a large hinterland market.

“A natural water depth of 20 metres is available at a distance of 10 km, and 15 metres contour is available at 6 km from the shore, which allows safe voyage and mooring for the new generation vessels,” it said.

“No capital dredging is required in the navigational channel and harbour area as draught of 18 metres is naturally available,” the statement added.

Vadhavan Port is expected to provide a capacity of 15 million TEUs in Phase I, going up to 24 million TEUs when fully build-out.

Nhava Sheva, featuring five box facilities, faces growing competition from Adani Group’s Mundra Port.

There has been a general view that a portion of Nhava Sheva’s anticipated trade growth could spill over to Mundra if adequate capacity is not created.

“The demand for container traffic will further accelerate after the plans for improving logistics infrastructure fructify and the 'Make-in-India' push drives greater exports and manufacture sourcing to India,” the government previously said, while approving the Vadhavan project.

The Government of Spain, via the Moves Singular Projects II Programme, has granted US$4.3 million to APM Terminals Barcelona to finance part of a pilot project for the electrification of the container handling equipment operating at the terminal, which is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 821 tonnes per year.

The project will include the acquisition of five zero-emission electric Straddle Carriers, four recharging stations, civil and electrical works, the IT network and the development of programmes and processes to implement the technology required for operations and recharging of the machinery.

The aim is to provide a greater understanding of the technical and economic viability of this emission-reducing project, optimise processes and investigate its scalability to other terminals where cargo is handled with similar machinery.

"At APM Terminals we are committed to reducing CO2 emissions and we will spare no effort in meeting our 2030 goals. For us it is very important that this is done in a collaborative way with the governments of the countries where we operate. If there is anything that definitely belongs to all of us, it is our planet," commented Carlos Arias, general manager of APM Terminals Spanish Gateways.

The project is also expected to bring benefits in terms of equipment availability, improved maintenance processes and the creation of a cleaner and safer working environment by significantly reducing the use of oil in daily operations and waste generation.

As well as the fact that the new electric Straddle Carriers are zero-emission, the electricity contracted by the terminal comes exclusively from renewable sources.