Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), India’s biggest private ports and logistics operator, is taking a bigger step into offshore markets with a $1.36bn investment plan that runs through FY2031. Europe is clearly part of the focus, but the wider idea is to build stronger capabilities in ultra-deepwater operations over the long term.
To do this, the company is working through a partnership between its marine platform Astro Offshore and US engineering firm Oceaneering International. The two will combine fleet resources with deepwater technical expertise to handle more complex offshore projects outside India.
APSEZ CEO Ashwani Gupta explained the logic behind the move simply, saying it is about bringing both sides together to expand the company’s reach and capabilities.
“By combining Astro Offshore’s expanding high-specification fleet with Oceaneering’s deepwater engineering and ROV expertise, we are enhancing our capabilities in complex offshore operations while expanding into Europe,” he said.
In the bigger picture, this fits into APSEZ’s plan to build a fully integrated marine platform that covers logistics, offshore support, underwater engineering and deepwater infrastructure services.
The group is aiming for a 200-vessel fleet over time, along with marine revenue of around ₹6,000 crore (about $627.4m) and total capital spending of ₹13,000 crore ($1.36bn) by FY2031.
One of the first visible steps in this direction is the addition of the 2021-built multipurpose support vessel Energy Savannah, which will be renamed Astro Atlas. It will be the company’s first real move into ultra-deepwater operations.
The vessel is equipped with a 150-tonne subsea crane, a 25-tonne auxiliary crane, a moonpool, and accommodation for up to 100 people on board.
It will be used for subsea construction, cable laying and pipeline installation, showing quite clearly the direction APSEZ is now heading: more technical offshore work, and higher-value services overall.
