Terminal Investment Limited

What Terminal Investment Limited does

Terminal Investment Limited S.à.r.l (TiL), founded in 2000 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is the port terminal investment and management arm of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, the world's second-largest container shipping line. TiL invests in, develops, and manages container terminals globally under long-term concessions from port authorities and governments, operating more than 50 terminals across over 40 countries with approximately 65 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of throughput in 2023, 62+ km of quay length, and 500+ ship-to-shore cranes. Its portfolio spans wholly-owned terminals (Total Terminals International in Long Beach, Portonave in Brazil, NCT at King Abdullah Port, Lomé Container Terminal in Togo, MSC Terminal Valencia, Terminaux de Normandie) and joint ventures with PSA Corporation (MPET in Antwerp — Europe's largest at 9M TEU capacity; MPAT in Singapore — world's largest transshipment hub), Port of New Orleans, Ports America, Tradepoint Atlantic, Marsa Maroc, and Maha Capital Partners.

TiL generates revenue through container handling fees (lift-on/lift-off), storage charges, and ancillary services such as customs clearance and intermodal transfers under long-term concession contracts with governments and B2B contracts with shipping lines. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales targeting port authorities and shipping companies, with growth achieved through greenfield development (Lomé, Valencia expansion), acquisitions (Dole's Guayaquil port operations), stake increases in existing terminals, and consortium-led deals such as the announced $22.8 billion acquisition of CK Hutchison's 43-terminal global ports portfolio. Shareholders include MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners, and GIC (Singapore sovereign wealth fund).

The company's technology stack combines terminal operating systems deployed across the portfolio, automation and densification infrastructure (automated stacking cranes, automated guided vehicles, OCR-based paperless gates), and a digital transformation initiative that centralizes operational data for cross-port analytics and predictive maintenance. TiL has delivered above 10% annual average volume growth over 15 years — significantly outperforming the industry's ~4% average — with throughput resilience demonstrated during the 2008-09 Global Financial Crisis and COVID-19. The portfolio's geographic and counterparty diversification, combined with MSC's guaranteed throughput, positions TiL as the largest privately-held container terminal platform globally.

Name

Terminal Investment Limited

Legal name

Terminal Investment Limited S.à.r.l

Website

https://tilgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), founded in 2000 and headquartered in Geneva, is a privately-held global container terminal operator managing 50+ terminals across 40+ countries with ~65M TEUs of annual throughput. Controlled by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, TiL serves shipping lines, cargo owners, and governments via long-term port concessions, greenfield developments, and acquisitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Container Terminal Operations and Port Infrastructure Investment

NAICS

Marine Cargo Handling (48832), Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Port and Harbor Operations (488310), Port and Harbor Operations (48831)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Container Terminal Operating Services & Management (Terminal Operator / Concessionaire) (TLAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Deep-Sea Container Terminals (Mainline / Transshipment Hubs) (TLAHAAAA), Gateway Container Terminals (Import/Export) (TLAHAAAB), Terminal Cargo Handling & Yard Operations (Receiving, Staging, Delivery) (TLAHALAB), Intermodal Rail Container Terminals (On-Dock / Near-Dock) (TLAHAAAE)

Keywords

• Container terminal operations
• Port infrastructure investment
• Terminal concession management
• Transshipment hub services
• Maritime logistics operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Container Terminal Operations: TiL generates revenue through operating container terminals under long-term concessions. Revenue comes from handling containers (lift-on/lift-off), storage fees, and ancillary services including customs clearance and intermodal transfers. The company operates as a gateway terminal for import/export cargo and as a transshipment hub for major shipping routes.
2. Terminal Concession Investments: TiL invests in, develops, and manages a diversified portfolio of container terminal businesses through concessions, greenfield developments, and acquisitions. Revenue generated per terminal flows to TiL's shareholders including MSC, GIP, and GIC.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) invests in, develops and operates a global portfolio of container terminals under long-term concessions with port authorities and governments. The company provides lift-on/lift-off container handling, storage, transshipment, customs clearance and intermodal transfer services to global shipping lines and cargo owners across 50+ terminals in more than 40 countries, generating throughput of approximately 65 million TEUs annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MSC PSA European Terminal (MPET) MPET is TiL's joint venture with PSA Corporation at the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, and is Europe's largest container terminal with 9M TEU capacity. It offers container handling, automated gates using OCR, paperless registration and transshipment services to global shipping lines.
• Total Terminals International (TTI) TTI operates Pier T at the Port of Long Beach, California, one of the largest container terminals in North America with 2.9M TEU capacity, providing lift-on/lift-off container handling, storage and intermodal services for trans-Pacific trade.
• Portuarios de Navegantes (Portonave) Portonave is Brazil's first private port terminal and is recognized as the country's most performing container terminal, offering container handling, storage, cold-chain capabilities through Iceport and intermodal connectivity for Brazilian and South American trade.
• Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) LCT is a TiL greenfield-developed container terminal in Lomé, Togo, serving as a strategic gateway to West Africa and a transshipment hub for trade flows along the West African coast.
• National Container Terminals (NCT) at King Abdullah Port NCT operates the container terminal at King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia, which is the Kingdom's largest transshipment hub and was ranked first among the most efficient container ports globally in the 2021 World Bank/S&P Global CPPI.
• Terminaux de Normandie Terminaux de Normandie is TiL's container terminal at the Port of Le Havre, France, operating as a gateway terminal for French import/export cargo and as a strategic transshipment hub on North Atlantic shipping routes.
• MSC Terminal Valencia (MSCTV) MSCTV is TiL's gateway terminal at the Port of Valencia, Spain, serving Spanish import/export markets and functioning as a strategic MSC transshipment hub on Mediterranean shipping routes; the terminal is pursuing a 4.8M TEU fully automated, fully electrified expansion in three phases.
• MSC PSA Asia Terminal (MPAT) MPAT is TiL's joint venture with PSA Corporation at Pasir Panjang, Singapore, with 8.5M TEU capacity, and is part of the world's largest transshipment hub, leveraging data and video analytics, automation, OCR-based automated gates and paperless registration.
• Misurata Free Zone Port PPP (Libya) A $2.7 billion PPP with Maha Capital Partners and Misurata Free Zone Authority to modernize, manage, develop and expand Misurata Free Zone Port in Libya - the port handling 60-65% of Libya's container trade - into a leading Mediterranean gateway and deep-sea transshipment hub with digital systems and upgraded equipment.
• Louisiana International Terminal New greenfield container terminal in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, operated through a joint venture between TiL, Port of New Orleans and Ports America, backed by $1.78 billion in funding commitments; designed to scale from 180,000-280,000 containers at opening to up to 2 million TEU annual capacity.
• Nador West Med Container Terminal (Morocco) Second container terminal concession at Nador West Med in Morocco, operated by TiL in partnership with Marsa Maroc, targeting 1.8 million TEU annual capacity initially and scaling to 5.5 million TEU in later phases.
• Sparrows Point Container Terminal (Port of Baltimore) 168-acre container terminal at the Port of Baltimore developed by TiL in joint venture with Tradepoint Atlantic, backed by $1.2 billion in private financing; expected to create more than 8,000 jobs, expand the Port of Baltimore's capacity by 70% and elevate Baltimore from the sixth- to third-largest container port on the Eastern Seaboard by 2030.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% reduction in CO2 emissions from 2017 to 2021 at MSC Terminal Valencia
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• PSA CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSA is a joint venture partner with TiL at MPET (Antwerp) and MPAT (Singapore). These are among TiL's most significant terminals - MPET is Europe's largest container terminal and MPAT is the world's largest transshipment hub.
• Port of New OrleanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTiL formed Louisiana International Terminal Holdings LLC joint venture with Port of New Orleans and Ports America to operate the new Louisiana International Terminal in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. The project has $1.78 billion in funding commitments and will handle 180,000-280,000 containers initially, scaling to 1.2-2 million TEU at full buildout.
• Ports AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPorts America is TiL's JV partner for the Louisiana International Terminal project, one of the largest container terminal developments in the US Gulf Coast region.
• Tradepoint AtlanticcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTiL and Tradepoint Atlantic are joint venture partners for the Sparrows Point Container Terminal at the Port of Baltimore. The 168-acre facility backed by $1.2 billion in private financing will create 8,000+ jobs and expand capacity by 70% by 2030.
• Maha Capital PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTiL signed a $2.7 billion public-private partnership with Maha Capital Partners and Misurata Free Zone Authority to modernize, manage, develop and expand Misurata Free Zone Port in Libya. The project aims to increase capacity to 4 million TEUs per year.
• Marsa MaroccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTiL is taking the second container terminal concession at Nador West Med in Morocco, partnering with Marsa Maroc. Nador West Med will initially handle 1.8 million TEU annually, scaling to 5.5 million TEU in later phases.
• CMA CGMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMA Terminals partnered with Marsa Maroc for the West Terminal at Nador West Med, while TiL operates the second container terminal at the same port.
• China Cosco ShippingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChina Cosco Shipping is part of the consortium exploring acquisition of CK Hutchison's global ports portfolio alongside TiL and BlackRock/GIP. The deal has faced regulatory and geopolitical obstacles.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/terminal-investment-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Terminal Investment Limited