Dubai-based ports and logistics giant DP World, which operates the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal in Kochi, has announced plans to invest an additional $5 billion in India to strengthen its integrated supply chain network.
The fresh investment, announced during India Maritime Week 2025, comes on top of the $3 billion the UAE-owned company has already poured into India over the past three decades.
DP World’s growing India network — which spans over 200 locations — includes major terminals in Mumbai, Mundra, Chennai, and Kochi. The company’s Kochi facility, part of the Cochin Port’s transshipment hub ambitions, could see fresh benefits from the new round of investments as DP World looks to enhance port efficiency, logistics connectivity, and coastal shipping.
Group Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said the move reflects the company’s long-term commitment to India’s maritime and logistics sectors.
“This new investment, combined with our strategic partnerships, reaffirms our commitment to advancing India’s maritime and logistics industry and cementing the nation’s position in global trade,” he said.
In January 2024, DP World signed $3 billion worth of memoranda of understanding with the Gujarat government for developing new ports, terminals, and economic zones.
The company said its latest pledge will help support India’s export competitiveness and strengthen domestic trade links — potentially offering a boost to southern ports like Kochi that are strategically located on global shipping routes.
The company noted that the new investment initiative comes on the heels of five memorandums of association (MoUs) that DP World signed in the presence of the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal. The MoUs aim to forge industry partnerships that are expected to unlock significant opportunities for business and employment across India’s maritime ecosystem.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, said: “We are fully aligned with India’s national priorities like PM Gati Shakti, Sagarmala, and the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. Our shared commitment to building a connected, confident, and self-reliant India is helping the country chart out a bold course toward global maritime leadership,” Bin Sulayem added.
The MoUs signed by DP World at the India Maritime Week span green coastal shipping, shipbuilding, ship repair, skill development, and advanced freight mobility — all aimed at accelerating the sector’s sustainable growth and efficiency. Two of these five agreements are:
1. Cochin Shipyard Limited, Drydocks World – which is a DP World company-- and Centre of Excellence in Maritime and Shipbuilding signing a tripartite MoU to jointly advance skill development in shipbuilding and repair. The partnership seeks to enhance India’s maritime talent pool, positioning the nation as a global hub for shipbuilding expertise.
2. Cochin Port Authority and DP World coming together to enhance maritime infrastructure in Kerala. Through this initiative, both partners will work to upgrade handling facilities at DP World’s International Container Transshipment Terminal at Kochi, thereby boosting operational efficiency and regional trade capacity, DP World said.
