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Media reports from Ukraine indicate that MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company has acquired a controlling stake (51 percent) in Ukrainian terminal operator TIS Group. Local industry executives are excited by the prospect of MSC's investment, noting it would be the first time a major carrier has invested in Ukraine and that it will help to raise the operating standards in the country.
MSC Group is reported to have purchased the shares of TIS Group, replacing an earlier 51 percent investment by DP World. The Dubai-based company had, in March, sold its shares to the founders of TIS Group and exited Ukraine. The speculation was that the move was prompted by a deal between DP World and Russia's Rosatom to develop shipping along Russia's Northern Sea Route with FESCO. As part of the deal, TIS also regained control of the towing business, which had been operated as P&O Maritime Ukraine.
TIS (Transinvetservice) is reported to be the largest private terminal operator in Ukraine. It was founded in 1994, and before the war, the TIS terminal operation at Pivdennyi, the southern port in the Greater Odesa complex, handled over 30 million tons of cargo annually. It is reported to have accounted for 20 percent of the total cargo volume in Ukraine and to be the second-largest terminal in the Black Sea.
The port was purpose-built and is reported to have the deepest container terminal in Ukraine. It has specialized facilities for grain, bulk, and project cargo alongside containers and direct road and rail connections linking it to inland centers.
The acquisition of the shares by MSC would be subject to regulatory approval, as MSC also holds a large position in Germany's HHLA, which owns a container terminal in Odesa. Experts note that, in addition to linking the two terminals, the deal also provides access to MSC's network, including terminals in Treiste and Tallinn.
The move is the latest by MSC as it works to build out its terminal and logistics operations. Last year, it acquired a 50 percent interest in an intermodal logistics operator in Ukraine and a 25 percent interest in a cross-border terminal. Elsewhere in Europe, it has also been making terminal acquisitions, and it, of course, is the bidder behind the stalled deal to acquire CK Hutchison's global network of terminals.
Fuente: The Maritime Executive
