DP World is rapidly building up its landside footprint in India as global container transport providers increasingly see integrated end-to-end logistics operations as the way forward in a hyper-competitive market environment. The port terminal operator’s India joint venture, Hindustan Infralog Pvt. Ltd. (HIPL), has acquired a 76 percent stake in KRIBHCO Infrastructure Ltd. (KRIL), which owns and operates three large inland logistics centers in northern India and holds a countrywide license for containerized rail offerings.

The acquisition is the second by HIPL under a USD 3 billion investment platform created in early 2017 in partnership with the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), an Indian government agency tasked with funding infrastructure projects in the country. KRIL’s inland depots, located in Pali, Haryana; Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh; and Hazira, Gujarat, offer containerized rail services via eight company-owned freight trains and a container fleet of approximately 1,350 TEU, as well as through cooperation agreements with intermodal rail operators. “With the acquisition of KRIL, DP World will emerge as one of the leading integrated rail terminal and container train operators in India with an enhanced network to provide door-to-door connectivity to cargo owners,” as per the statement in the Dubai daily, adding, “It will also augment DP World’s existing business in terms of the business model and geographic footprint, offering an integrated portfolio to the entire logistics value chain.”

DP World chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem added, “In India, we have made strong progress in building an integrated logistics platform which can deliver a competitive solution to cargo owners and we aim to continue adding scale to our offering to deliver greater efficiencies and value to the trade.”