Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) and France’s Port of Marseille Fos have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen cooperation on trade facilitation, port innovation, and energy transition — completing the full India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) trade pathway from India to Europe, a press release said.
The MoU was signed during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India, underscoring the expanding India–France strategic partnership. The agreement also aligns with the recently concluded India–EU Free Trade Agreement, described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “the mother of all deals.”
A key outcome of the partnership is the proposed creation of an IMEC Ports Club to institutionalise dialogue among corridor ports and coordinate policy and investment frameworks. Launched at the 2023 G20 Summit in New Delhi, IMEC spans 6,000 km, linking India and Europe through maritime routes, rail networks, digital systems, and clean-energy pathways.
On IMEC’s eastern gateway, APSEZ’s ports at Mundra and Hazira form a multimodal hub connecting South Asia to West Asia. Marseille Fos now anchors the western European end, adding approximately 70 million tonnes of capacity. The two ports will also jointly develop the Mundra–Marseille Fos Green Maritime Corridor.
Other focus areas include port digitalisation, smart-port platforms, data interoperability, cybersecurity, alternative fuels, shore power supply, and low-carbon bunkering.
APSEZ, part of the Adani Group, operates 15 ports and terminals across India’s coastlines, a marine fleet of 127 vessels, 12 multimodal logistics parks, 3.1 million sq. ft. of warehouses, and over 25,000 trucks on its proprietary platform. With a cargo handling capacity of 633 million tonnes per annum — commanding roughly 28% of India’s total port volumes — APSEZ targets one billion tonnes throughput by 2030. It was ranked in the top 5% globally in the 2025 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, with five ports listed in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index 2024.
Marseille Fos, France’s leading maritime gateway, handles 74 million tonnes of cargo annually with nearly 10,000 vessel calls per year. Its 10,400-hectare industrial and logistics zone — one of Europe’s largest — serves over 15 million consumers in Southern France and reaches more than 70 million inhabitants across the Rhône–Saône corridor. The port has committed over €1 billion in its 2025–2029 plan towards decarbonisation, shore-power expansion, renewable hydrogen, and low-carbon manufacturing.
APSEZ CEO Ashwani Gupta said the MoU successfully connects the corridor’s final leg to Europe, accelerating exchange of information and materials among participating nations. “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.”,said Ashwani Gupta.
Marseille Fos CEO Hervé Martel added”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 mobilize and federate the ports involved, and to act as strong advocates of a more efficient, resilient and sustainable connection between our regions.”
