APM Terminals Management B.V. is set to partner with Taiwanese container line Wan Hai Lines Ltd. (TWSE:2615) to bid for the container terminal tender issued by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) as potential bidders look to tie up with lines to secure volumes. JNPT has sought bids in August 2021 to privatise the container terminal self-operated by the state-run port authority. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (NSEI:ADANIPORTS) (APSEZ) is teaming up with Terminal Investment Limited (Netherlands) B.V, a unit of Mediterranean Shipping Company SA, the world's second biggest box line, to bid for the project.

CMA Terminals Holding S.A.S., a subsidiary of CMA CGM S A, is also looking to participate for the terminal project designed to handle 1.8 million TEUs a year. “There is an opportunity for APM Terminals by partnering with Wan Hai Lines, a carrier that is also reasonably dominant in the Nhava Sheva region where JNPT is located,” said a shipping industry executive. Tying up with Wan Hai Lines will give APM Terminals an extra zing on the bid, the shipping industry executive said.

APM Terminals is not partnering with Concor on the container terminal tender as the state-run rail hauler is being lined up for privatization by the government. A clear visibility on volumes will give potential bidders the heft to quote competitive royalty per TEU, the sole basis for deciding the winner, the shipping industry executive said.