State-owned, unlisted major ports are missing out on wealth creation
April 16, 2021
Bringing all the 12 ports under a holding company for listing makes the valuations even bigger, suggests a consultant
Two large mergers and acquisitions deals in the ports sector involving Adani Group in the last few days have shown what some of India’s big, unlisted state-owned ports, much bigger than Krishnapatnam and Gangavaram by volumes handled, are missing out in terms of wealth creation.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), India’s biggest private port operator, spent ₹11,753 crore in equity to buy Krishnapatnam and Gangavaram ports.
APSEZ paid ₹6,195 crore for a 100 per cent stake in Krishnaptanam Port Co Ltd (KPCL) which handled 38 million tonnes (mt) of cargo in F21, earning ₹1,840 crore with an EBITDA of ₹1,325 crore.