Liners put head in front

If you read some analyses of concession and terminal acquisition then you will receive a picture of a shift in activity towards supply chain elements outside the terminal sector. Other, more academic analyses, highlight an era of concession renewal plus as noted by ourselves in the last issue of PS there is now a greater incidence of multi-terminal deals, albeit that the TIL/Blackrock/COSCO purchase of the Hutchison ports portfolio is now in stalled mode.

On the first point above, there is definitely increased interest in investing along the supply chain and this includes some established players such as International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) who have comparatively recently entered the fray. Despite this, however, as can be seen below terminal transactions continue apace with no major drop in focus on this area discernible.

The proposition, launched from the academic sector, that we have now entered the era of concession renewal is highly questionable. As far as PS is concerned, we have been in this era for over a decade and it just rolls on!

Table 1: New Terminal Operating Arrangements, Bids and Concession Extensions Implemented from 1 May 2026 to 1 September 2026

AFRICA

Transnet Offers Durban Logistic Sites

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has issued requests for proposals from qualified investors to develop two logistics sites in the Port of Durban. Located at Ambrose Park, close to the main port facilities, the two sites are being offered on the basis of a 25-year lease with design, build and operate. Transnet presents the view that the two new facilities will accommodate activities such as diverse logistics services, warehousing, cargo handling, storage and distribution.

AMERICAS

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority Seeks Operator

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has initiated a process to find an operator for its Fraser Wharves terminal site in Richmond. The terminal was formerly used as an auto terminal and covering 40 acres is a fully paved, secured and fenced site with rail and road infrastructure already in place. Rail service is via CN with nine on-site tracks and room for expansion. Road access is also efficient with Highway 99 just 1.5km away.

DP World Negotiating With Corpus Christi

Two decades on from when DP World had to exit the USA and divest the businesses it acquired from P&O Ports it is now plotting a return via the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas. Negotiations centre on developing and operating a new container terminal at the port. DP World has entered exclusive negotiations with the Port of Corpus Christi to develop and operate a new container terminal, a move that could mark the company’s first major container terminal investment in the US since the controversy surrounding its acquisition of P&O Ports’ facilities in 2006. The DP World initiative complements a programme of diversification being pursued by the port following significant improvements made recently to its main shipping channel. Further highlighting its desire to be active in the USA, DP World’s name also comes up in relation to the planned sale of Maher Terminals in New York, the largest container handling facility on the US East Coast.

ASIA

MICT Concession Extension

International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has secured a 25-year extension to the concession for its flagship Manila International Container Terminal (MICT). The extension, granted by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), takes place against a background of ICTSI scheduling substantial investments to consolidate and expand terminal capacity as well as improve offtake infrastructure in the period to 2037.

DP World Gets Five More Years at Laem Chabang

Through a negotiated concession extension arrangement DP World has extended its tenure at Thailand’s Laem Chabang Port’s B5 container berth by five years. The extension, awarded by the Port Authority of Thailand, will run from May 2026 to April 2031.

SOUTH ASIA

MSC Eyes Hambantota

Liner operator MSC is understood to be in discussions with China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPH) and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) to purchase a sizable stake in the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota. The port was built with Chinese funding but due to Sri Lanka’s inability to repay the associated loan the debt was restructured and CMPH became an 85% shareholder. With container congestion manifest in Asia, Hambantota has recently seen increased usage by carriers and particularly MSC.

Ennore Plots High-Capacity Container Berths

Ennore Port, on the East Coast of India, is planning to construct two new high-capacity container berths with the first berth expected to be in operation in 2029 and the second in 2031. CMA CGM, Hapag Lloyd and JM Baxi are reported to be showing interest with Adani Ports and MSC potentially liable to be excluded from bidding due to their existing joint operation in the port.

MSC Buys into Vizhinjam

MSC has acquired a 49% stake in fast growing Vizhinjam Port from Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ). The terminal will be included in MSC’s Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) terminal portfolio with TIL reportedly buying in with an investment of US$1.39 billion, a figure which represents a 49% share of the overall US$2.85 billion valuation for the facility. Situated in Kerala just 10 nautical miles from the main East – West shipping lane Vizhinjam Port is India’s first purpose-built, deep water, transshipment hub.

AUSTRALASIA

DP World & Co Pursue Lyttelton Port

DP World in conjunction with three Maori partners has submitted an unsolicited proposal to operate Lyttelton Port on New Zealand’s South Island. The scheme as proposed would see Christchurch City Council keep ownership of the port land and other major assets while a jointly-owned company would lease and operate the port. The matter is reported to be under review by Christchurch City Holdings Limited while port unions have voiced their opposition describing the idea as ‘privatisation by the back door.’

EUROPE

Gdansk: Baltic Hub Container Terminal Signs 30-year Lease

The Port of Gdańsk Authority has signed a 30-year lease agreement with the Baltic Hub Container Terminal for a 27-hectare site next to the Baltic Hub’s T2 deepwater terminal. The site is to be developed to include new container handling and intermodal rail facilities. Extensive new handling systems will be acquired throughout the new area’s multi-phased development.

Hanseatic Global Terminals Buys into Maasvlakte II, Rotterdam…

Container line Hapag Lloyd has reached an agreement to acquire a 25% stake in APM Terminals Maasvlakte II Rotterdam terminal. Hanseatic Global Terminals (HGT), the line’s terminal division, will process the investment the financial terms of which have not been disclosed. The terminal is currently undergoing significant expansion including a doubling of quay line from 1000m to 2000m, the addition of yard space, provision of four rail tracks and automated container handling systems. Overall capacity will rise to around 5.4mTEU/yr.

…and Hamburg, and Ups Stake in TC3 Tangier Med

HGT is also set to acquire a 20% stake in Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg (CTH) and double its holding in Morocco’s TC3 terminal at Tangier Med from 10% to 20%. The CTH investment secures for the carrier a second strong position in a Hamburg container terminal – it already has a 25.1% equity stake in HHLA’s advanced Container Terminal Altenwerder. The TC3 terminal investment signals the increasing importance of the terminal as a transshipment base.

MIDDLE EAST

L’IMAD to Take AD Ports Private

Abu Dhabi sovereign investor L’IMAD has launched a cash offer, estimated to be worth about AED7.8bn ($2.1bn), for the remaining 24.58% of AD Ports Group equity that it does not own. Effectively the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund is seeking to secure full ownership of the ports and logistics group. Among other advantages, L’IMAD contends that full ownership would give AD Ports more room to pursue investment and acquisitions without short-term public-market pressures. AD Ports originally listed in Abu Dhabi in 2022.

DP World Bets on Fujairah

In a move calculated to respond to the USA-Iran conflict in the Middle East, DP World has reached an agreement in principle with the Fujairah Ports Authority to develop two terminals on the UAE’s east coast under a 50-year concession arrangement. The two terminals comprise the Al Rugavlat container and multipurpose terminal and the Dibba General Cargo Terminal. It is envisaged that Al Rugavlat will be able to offer a capacity of up to 2.3 million TEU/yr and handle the latest generation of Ultra Large Container Vessels as well as accommodate 1.7 million tonnes of general cargo annually and 190,000 car units. Dibba will have an eventual general cargo capacity of 3.6 million tonnes. Development of both facilities will be on a phased basis with construction forecast to take up to 30 months. Both facilities would be located outside the Persian Gulf, on the Gulf of Oman away from the troubled Straits of Hormuz. Their development will also see Fujairah offer significant new competition to nearby Khorfak kan which unlike Fujairah has seen a strong upturn in business following the ongoing problems in the Straits of Hormuz.

Multipurpose & Logistics Terminal for Sohar Port

CMA CGM and the Asyad Group have signed a framework agreement to establish – develop, manage and operate – a new multipurpose terminal at Sohar Port, Oman. It is reported the terminal will be developed with advanced technologies which will support international and regional trade development.

RSGT and CMA CGM Sign for Jeddah Terminal

Red Sea Gateway Terminals (RSGT) and liner operator CMA CGM have signed a definitive agreement to develop and operate the new Terminal 4 at the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Total investment in the new facility is expected to be in the order of USD435 million which will put into place a terminal with a 2.6 million TEU capacity served by 10 ship-to-shore cranes.