Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) and Port of Marseille Fos have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance collaboration in trade facilitation, port innovation, and energy transition. The agreement proposes the formation of an IMEC Ports Club to strengthen coordination among ports along the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), reinforcing connectivity between India and the European Union.
The MoU was signed during the visit of Emmanuel Macron, highlighting the deepening strategic ties between India and France and aligning with broader India–EU trade objectives. The corridor initiative, introduced at the G20 Summit 2023, envisions a 6,000-kilometre multimodal network linking India and Europe through maritime routes, rail systems, digital infrastructure, and clean energy connections.
On the eastern side of the corridor, APSEZ’s Mundra and Hazira ports function as key multimodal gateways connecting South Asia with West Asia. Marseille Fos strengthens the western European gateway, adding around 70 million tonnes of capacity and extending IMEC’s footprint further into Europe. The collaboration is intended to create a more coordinated and structured channel for India–EU trade flows.
Key focus areas of the partnership include joint promotion of the IMEC route as a competitive and sustainable Eurasian trade alternative; technical cooperation in port digitalisation, cybersecurity, alternative fuels, and low-carbon maritime solutions; development of a Mundra–Marseille Fos Green Maritime Corridor; and institutionalising dialogue through the proposed IMEC Ports Club.
Ashwani Gupta, Whole-time Director and CEO of APSEZ, stated that the agreement connects the final European leg of the corridor, strengthening economic integration and supply-chain resilience. Hervé Martel, CEO of Marseille Fos, noted that both ports share responsibility in shaping a more efficient and sustainable trade backbone between India and Europe.
Part of the diversified Adani Group, APSEZ operates 15 ports and terminals across India, supported by an integrated logistics network that includes multimodal parks, warehouses, rail connectivity, and a large marine fleet. With a cargo handling capacity of 633 million tonnes per annum and a target of reaching 1 billion tonnes by 2030, APSEZ manages approximately 28 percent of India’s total port volumes. The company has also been recognised among the top global transportation infrastructure firms in the 2025 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment.
The Port of Marseille Fos is France’s leading maritime gateway, handling around 74 million tonnes of cargo annually and nearly 10,000 vessel calls each year. Its 10,400-hectare industrial and logistics zone supports bulk cargo, containers, energy products, ship repair, and multimodal transport connections linking the Mediterranean to wider European markets. The port is advancing decarbonisation initiatives under its 2025–2029 investment plan, focusing on shore power expansion, renewable hydrogen, circular economy initiatives, and low-carbon industrial development.
