Adani Ports inks deal with Port of Marseille Fos to boost India–Europe trade connectivity

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) officially announced here on Wednesday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Port of Marseille Fos, which is France’s leading port and the Mediterranean’s premier gateway, in order to deepen cooperation on trade facilitation, port innovation and energy transition.

The partnership proposes the creation of an IMEC Ports Club to strengthen coordination among key ports along the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) route, reinforcing connectivity between India and the European Union. This completes the IMEC pathway for India-EU trade, which has been boosted by the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between India and the European Union, called ‘the mother of all deals’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Marseille Fos is one of Europe’s largest integrated multi modal port ecosystems. As a major player in international trade, the Port of Marseille Fos is France’s leading maritime gateway and a strategic hub on the Mediterranean, handling 74 million tonnes of cargo annually and welcomes nearly 10,000 vessel calls each year. Its 10,400 hectare industrial and logistics zone, which is one of Europe’s largest, hosts major global players as well as supports a complete range of activities including liquid and dry bulk, containers, Ro-Ro, energy, industry and ship repair, notably Dry Dock 10, which is the third largest dry dock in the world.

As a multimodal hub connected by rail, river, road and pipelines, Marseille Fos offers direct access to the French and European hinterland, with robust services linking the Mediterranean to Northern Europe. It serves more than 15 million consumers in Southern France and reaches over 70 million inhabitants across the Rhône–Saône corridor and Western Europe.

The port also benefits from the Marseille–Rhône–Saône (MeRs) axis, the natural extension of its industrial ecosystem, which gathers hundreds of companies and Europe’s leading inland logistics clusters. Marseille Fos is actively involved in several inland port authorities and multimodal platforms, supporting coordinated logistics and greener supply chains along the corridor.

According to the official statement, the MoU was signed during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, underscoring the expanding India–France strategic partnership and aligning it with the broader IMEC and India–EU trade vision. Launched at the 2023 G20 Summit in New Delhi, the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a 6,000-km multimodal connectivity initiative linking India and Europe through integrated maritime routes, rail networks, digital systems and clean energy pathways.

On the eastern gateway of IMEC, APSEZ’s ports at Mundra and Hazira form a multimodal logistics hub connecting South Asia to West Asia. Through this MoU, Marseille Fos strengthens the western European gateway of the corridor, adding approximately 70 million tonnes of capacity and extending IMEC’s reach deeper into Europe. This partnership establishes a more structured and coordinated pathway to facilitate India–EU trade flows.

The partnership signed between Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) and the Port of Marseille Fos will focus on promoting the IMEC route as a sustainable, secure and competitive alternative for Eurasian trade flows, including joint campaigns, participation in international trade fairs and roadshows, and targeted B2B engagements, besides technical exchange and capacity building in port digitalisation, smart port platforms, data interoperability, cybersecurity, alternative fuels, shore power supply and low carbon bunkering.

The partnership will also focus on developing the Mundra–Marseille Fos Green Maritime Corridor, co-founding an IMEC Ports Club to institutionalise dialogue among corridor ports and coordinate inputs for policy discussions as well as investment frameworks supporting IMEC infrastructure.

Commenting on the MoU, APSEZ Whole-time Director & CEO Ashwani Gupta said, “India has already taken a leadership role in advancing this corridor, and with the conclusion of the India–EU Free Trade Agreement, trade between the participating countries is expected to grow manifold. At APSEZ, our ports in Hazira and Mundra on India’s western coast have already established a seamless pathway across the first and middle legs of the corridor. With this MoU with the Port of Marseille Fos in France, we have now successfully connected the final leg to Europe. This partnership will significantly accelerate the exchange of information and materials among all participating nations, further strengthening economic cooperation and supply-chain resilience”.

Port of Marseille Fos CEO Hervé Martel said, “We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with APSEZ at a moment when the IMEC corridor is entering a decisive phase. India and Marseille stand at the two extremities of this future trade backbone, giving both ports a major responsibility in structuring and energizing this new route. Together, we intend to mobilise and federate the ports involved, and to act as strong advocates of a more efficient, resilient and sustainable connection between our regions”.