UK Next? Adani Ports Weighs Potential Bid for Associated British Ports

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) is evaluating a potential bid for Associated British Ports (ABP), the United Kingdom's largest port operator, according to a Moneycontrol report. The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said the discussions are at an early stage and may not necessarily result in a formal offer.

An APSEZ spokesperson said the company does not comment on market speculation or rumours but continuously evaluates opportunities that align with its long-term strategy and create sustainable value for stakeholders.

ABP owns and operates 21 ports across England, Scotland and Wales, including key ports at Southampton and the Humber. The company handles around a quarter of the UK's seaborne trade, with operations spanning containers, automobiles, bulk cargo, cruise vessels and industrial real estate.

APSEZ Eyes Biggest Overseas Deal

According to the publication, Canadian pension funds CPP Investments and Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) together own around 64% of ABP. The transaction could value the UK port operator at more than £10 billion.

A Bloomberg report published in April had said the proposed sale attracted preliminary interest from several global infrastructure investors and port operators, including KKR, BlackRock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Brookfield Asset Management and Dubai-based DP World. However, the sale process was still at an early stage and no formal bids had been submitted.

If the deal goes through, it would mark Adani Ports' biggest international acquisition and provide the company with a significant operating platform in one of Europe's largest trading economies.

Global Expansion Strategy

APSEZ has steadily expanded its international presence in recent years through investments in ports and terminals across multiple countries.

Its most notable overseas acquisition remains Israel's Haifa Port, which it acquired in partnership with Gadot Group for about $1.18 billion, with Adani Ports holding a 70% stake. The company has also started operations at the Colombo West International Terminal in Sri Lanka and Container Terminal 2 at Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Its international portfolio also includes the North Queensland Export Terminal in Australia.

India's largest private port operator currently manages a network of 15 ports and terminals with cargo-handling capacity of around 627 million tonnes per annum. The company handled a record 500 million tonnes of cargo in FY26 and has set a target of increasing annual cargo volumes to one billion tonnes by 2030.