MSC Buys 49% of Vizhinjam Port for $1.4B as Kerala Cries Foul

On June 30, 2026, MSC's port investment arm, Terminal Investment Limited, signed a deal to acquire a 49% stake in Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited for around $1.4 billion. The transaction values the port at $2.85 billion. It is, by most accounts, the largest single foreign private investment made in Indian port infrastructure.

Vizhinjam sits on the southwestern tip of Kerala, close to major east-west shipping lanes. The port handled 1.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units in the financial year ending March 2026. MSC, already the world's largest container line by capacity, has been extending its ownership of terminal assets across Asia and the Middle East.

The state of Kerala was not pleased. Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on July 3 that the government had not been consulted before the deal was finalised. His objection carries weight. The original concession agreement for Vizhinjam includes a clause requiring Kerala government approval before any party can acquire more than 25% of the port company. MSC's proposed 49% share comfortably clears that threshold.

Adani Ports had not publicly responded to Kerala's position as of July 3. The concession dispute now sits between the state, Adani Ports, and TiL. Regulatory clearances from India's Competition Commission are also needed before the deal closes.