The world’s largest container shipping line is reported to have acquired a 51% controlling stake in the TIS container terminal at Ukraine’s Pivdennyi port near Odesa. The move would give MSC direct exposure to a key Black Sea logistics hub while the war continues.
MSC has not publicly confirmed the transaction. However, Ukrainian media have reported the ownership change, citing company-register data. Trans.INFO has contacted MSC for comment.
The reported acquisition would mark a notable shift in ownership at the terminal, which had previously been linked to DP World. In March, DP World sold its 51% stake in the Pivdennyi container terminal back to TIS Group, ending a five-year partnership in Ukraine. The sale also included P&O Maritime Ukraine, the related marine services business.
If confirmed, MSC’s entry would follow DP World’s exit by only a few months. It would also strengthen MSC’s foothold in Ukraine’s port and intermodal market at a time when Black Sea logistics remain shaped by security risks, wartime disruption and shifting trade flows.
Pivdennyi — formerly known as Yuzhny — is one of Ukraine’s most important deep-water ports. TIS Group is among the country’s largest private port operators, with activities spanning specialist terminals, rail infrastructure and maritime services.
The reported transaction is not MSC’s first move into Ukrainian logistics. Last year, the company invested in intermodal operator Levada Cargo and the Mostyska dry port near the Polish border. Its acquisition of a 49.9% stake in HHLA has also given it indirect exposure to HHLA’s Container Terminal Odessa.
