As Ti Insight’s Chief Analyst Thomas Cullen reported in May 2022, following rumours that Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) had bid for 60% of the equity of ITA, the successor to Alitalia, the Italian state-owned airline, the shipping giant is now reportedly in talks to acquire Italian cargo airline AlisCargo to grow its MSC Air Cargo airline business. Founded in 2021, AlisCargo’ fleet comprises of four Boeing 777 200ER P2F aircrafts used for both ACMI and cargo charter services, according to the company’s website.
In the case of a successful acquisition, it is predicted that the shipping firm would drastically change its aviation strategy. The corporation would incorporate the operation of the cargo flights into its own group rather than solely depending on contracted services, which are offered by subcontractors.
MSC continues to explore avenues to develop its air cargo operations. Recently, the shipper disclosed a strategic partnership with IBS Software to roll out iCargo as a supplementary service to its main maritime shipping solution for a firm that is already the largest container carrier in the world and is currently expanding its MSC Air Cargo arm. The iCargo complies fully with international industry standards and initiatives including Cargo iQ, C-XML, OneRecord, e-AWB, and e-Freight, as well as best practices in the air cargo sector.
MSC has also been making new breakthroughs in other markets. The Mundra port berthed the 399-metre-long and 54-metre-wide vessel MV MSC Hamburg, which has a carrying capacity of 15,908 TEUs and a current draught of around 12 metres, as it completes ten years of its joint venture with the Adani International Container Terminal at the Mundra port, APSEZ and MSC operate three container terminals. Commenting on the JV, Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani states, “With rapid access to North and West India hinterland, the Trade at large will benefit from scale benefits of larger vessels calling at Mundra providing a compelling cost advantage to port users.” The ports and terminals owned by Adani Ports account for approximately 24% of the India’s port capacity.
MSC ordered a significant number of new ships and last year surpassed Maersk in terms of tonnage, clearly showing intention to continue to grab market share from its competitors across all trade lanes.
Source: Ti Insights
Author: Shruti Sasidharan
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