Adani acquires India’s largest marine services company Ocean Sparkle for Rs. 1530 crore

Ahmedabad : Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) through its subsidiary, The Adani Harbour Services Ltd (TAHSL), has entered into a definitive agreement for acquisition of 100% stake in Ocean Sparkle Ltd (OSL), India’s leading third party marine services provider for a total consideration of Rs.1530 crore.

The consideration for direct acquisition of 75.69% stake of OSL is Rs. 1,135.30 crore. The consideration for indirect acquisition of 24.31% stake of OSL (by acquisition of 100% stake of M/s Savi Jana as discussed below in point B) is Rs. 394.87 crore (including additional cash on hand with Savi Jana is Rs. 30.17 crore.)

Key activities carried by the company include towage, pilotage, and dredging. With an asset base of 94 owned vessels and 13 third-party owned vessels, OSL is a market leader. OSL is valued at an enterprise value of INR 1,700 Cr with INR 300 Cr of free cash in the company. The company was established in 1995 by a group of marine technocrats with Mr. P Jairaj Kumar as the Chairman and MD, who will continue as the Chairman of the OSL board.

“Given the synergies of OSL and Adani Harbour Services, the consolidated business is likely to double in five years with improved margins, thereby creating significant value for APSEZ’s shareholders.” said Mr Karan Adani, CEO and Whole-time Director, APSEZ. “This acquisition not only provides APSEZ a significant share of India’s marine services market but also provides us a platform for building presence in other countries, thereby facilitating APSEZ’s journey towards becoming the largest port operator globally by 2030 and largest integrated transport utility in India,”

OSL has long-standing relationships with its existing clients, with contracts ranging from 5 to 20 years (average length of contracts is ~7 years). Further, the contracts are on Take or Pay (TOPA) basis, thereby providing robustness to OSL’s business model. The Company has presence in all the major ports, 15 minor ports and all the 3 LNG terminals in India. Over the years, OSL has built and deployed a team of 1,800 personnel across India. The Company has significant experience in global maritime servicing through its operations in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Yemen and Africa.