Haifa offers opportunities in the cruise as well as cargo handling sectors
A consortium including Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) and Israel’s Gadot Group has won the tender to privatise the Port of Haifa, the second largest port in Israel, fending off stiff competition from local and global players. Through the winning bid, the Adani-Gadot consortium has secured the rights to buy 100% of the shares of Haifa Port Company, with a concession period up to 2054.
Welcoming the outcome of the process, Karan Adani, CEO, APSEZ, says, “This win is strategic for us from several dimensions, and gives us a much larger presence in Israel, where Adani Group has been working for six long years to build a network of relationships across several industries. In the short term, we look forward to developing strategic trade lanes between our ports in India and Haifa and help facilitate trade between the two countries, diversifying the port’s cargo base as well as leveraging our expertise to increase operational efficiencies.”
The Port of Haifa handles nearly half of Israel’s container cargo and is also the country’s principal port for passenger traffic and cruise ships. The existing infrastructure includes two container and two multi-cargo terminals, well as a ro-ro terminal and a cruise facility. During 2021, Haifa Port handled 1.46 million TEU of containers and 2.56 million tons of general and bulk cargo.
