DP World Eyes $5 Bn India Investment Across Logistics Businesses

DP World, a global giant in ports and terminals, expects to invest around $5 billion in India over the next few years as it expands capacity across ports, rail, warehousing and other logistics businesses. The investment comes as the Dubai-based firm’s existing capacity approaches full utilisation and its logistics businesses grow, according to Hemant Kumar Ruia, Country Manager of DP World India Subcontinent.

The company has already invested nearly $3 billion in its existing Indian assets, he told Outlook Business, adding that DP World’s ongoing projects include the second phase of Nhava Sheva Business Park, a free-trade-zone facility near Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Navi Mumbai, and the Tuna-Tekra terminal in Gujarat, which is expected to become operational in the fourth quarter of next year.

Tuna-Tekra will add around 2.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of container-handling capacity in the Gulf of Kutch, Ruia said.

“Our commitment is that we will not shy away from adding capacity when the need arises,” Ruia said. “We believe a good estimate is $5 billion over the next few years.”

The investment comes as DP World seeks to expand beyond port operations and build an integrated logistics network that allows it to serve cargo owners across the supply chain, from factories to their end customers.

DP World is seeking an extension of its Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal concession, which expires in June 2027. Ruia said the company had continued to “engage with the authorities” without providing further details.

The company began in India as a port operator but has since diversified into rail transportation, inland container depots, container freight stations, contract logistics, freight forwarding and express deliveries. The strategy is aimed at building direct relationships with cargo owners by offering services beyond the port gate, Ruia said.

DP World operates 89 container trains on the Indian Railways network, making it the country’s largest private rail operator. It has eight inland container depots, with four more under development, and five container freight stations near its ports.

Its contract logistics and cold-chain operations cover nearly 4 million square feet across India. The company also operates three free-trade zones in Mumbai, Chennai and Cochin, spanning nearly 2 million square feet. DP World is also the country’s largest coastal operator by market share, with close to 60%, Ruia said.

“We are not operating these businesses independently. Whether it is rail or contract logistics, the idea is to serve customers through an integrated model. We want to be the customer's sole partner, taking goods from our customer's door to their customer's door,” he said.