Adani Ports & SEZ and Port of Marseille Fos Sign Strategic IMEC Partnership to Strengthen India–Europe Trade Connectivity

APSEZ and the Port of Marseille Fos signed an IMEC MoU to deepen trade connectivity between India and Europe. The collaboration focuses on port digitalisation, smart technologies, cybersecurity, and green maritime links, with Mundra and Hazira serving as eastern gateways and Marseille Fos expanding western European access along the IMEC corridor.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with France’s Port of Marseille Fos to strengthen trade connectivity between India and Europe under the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). The agreement marks a significant step in enhancing logistics cooperation, port innovation, and sustainable maritime connectivity between the two regions.

The MoU was signed during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, highlighting the growing strategic and economic partnership between India and France. The collaboration aims to facilitate smoother trade flows and improve coordination between ports along the IMEC route, which was launched at the 2023 G20 Summit in New Delhi as a multimodal corridor integrating maritime, rail, digital, and clean energy infrastructure.

With this agreement, APSEZ’s ports at Mundra and Hazira will serve as key eastern gateways connecting India to West Asia, while the Port of Marseille Fos will strengthen the western European gateway of the corridor. The French port brings an additional cargo handling capacity of approximately 70 million tonnes and enhances connectivity to markets across Europe, creating a more efficient and structured pathway for India–EU trade.

The partnership will focus on promoting IMEC as a sustainable and secure alternative trade route and will encourage cooperation in areas such as port digitalisation, smart port technologies, cybersecurity, and alternative fuels. Both sides will also work toward developing a green maritime corridor between Mundra and Marseille Fos, supporting global efforts to reduce emissions and improve sustainability in shipping. In addition, the agreement includes plans to establish an IMEC Ports Club to strengthen collaboration among ports along the corridor and support policy discussions and infrastructure development.

Ashwani Gupta, Whole-time Director and CEO of APSEZ, said the agreement represents a major milestone in connecting India’s port infrastructure with Europe. He noted that APSEZ’s ports have already established seamless connectivity across the initial legs of the IMEC corridor, and the partnership with Marseille Fos completes the final link to Europe. He added that the collaboration will accelerate the exchange of goods and information while strengthening economic cooperation and supply chain resilience.

Hervé Martel, CEO of the Port of Marseille Fos, said the partnership comes at a decisive moment for the IMEC corridor. He said India and Marseille occupy critical positions at opposite ends of the corridor and share a responsibility to strengthen and develop this emerging trade route. He added that both ports aim to support a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable logistics connection between Asia and Europe.

APSEZ, part of the Adani Group, operates 15 ports and terminals across India with a total cargo handling capacity of 633 million tonnes per annum and accounts for nearly 28 per cent of the country’s port volumes. The company aims to expand its capacity to 1 billion tonnes by 2030 as part of its long-term growth strategy.

The Port of Marseille Fos, France’s largest maritime gateway, handles around 74 million tonnes of cargo annually and serves as a major logistics hub connecting Southern France and Europe to global markets. The port’s strategic location and multimodal connectivity make it a key partner in strengthening the IMEC corridor and enhancing trade links between India and the European Union.

The agreement is expected to play a crucial role in boosting India–Europe trade, improving supply chain efficiency, and supporting the broader vision of the IMEC corridor as a reliable, sustainable, and future-ready trade route connecting Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.