What IMC does

IMC Limited, incorporated in 1935 as the Indian Molasses Company, is India's leading independent port terminalling and bulk liquid storage company, headquartered in Chennai. The company operates 22 tank terminals across 14 major Indian ports on both the west and east coasts, with a combined storage capacity exceeding 1 million KL across more than 338 tanks. Its core offerings span four business lines: (1) independent bulk liquid tank storage for petroleum products, liquefied gases, petrochemicals, acids, and vegetable oils; (2) dry bulk terminal development and operations, including the 4.5 MTPA Multi-purpose Cargo Berth No. 15 at Kandla Port; (3) international commodity trading, in which IMC is the largest merchant exporter of molasses from India; and (4) Operations & Maintenance services for liquid and dry bulk terminals at airports, power plants, and industrial sites.

IMC's infrastructure development projects operate on BOT/BOOT/BOO concession models, with recent additions including the 30-year EQ-10 Liquid Terminal concession at Visakhapatnam Port (expandable to 100,000 KL). The technology platform centers on specialized physical handling capabilities: heating and refrigeration systems for temperature-sensitive cargo, nitrogen blanketing, coated and stainless steel tanks for corrosive chemicals, Saab radar gauges for tank level monitoring, Effluent Treatment Plants, and rail wagon loading facilities capable of loading 70 wagons (1,400 metric tonnes) within five hours. The company maintains ISO 9001 certifications across nine terminals and ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety.

IMC generates revenue through three primary streams: recurring storage terminal charges (subscription-style contracts with industrial, public sector, and trading customers), managed O&M service fees, and transaction-based international commodity trading. It serves enterprise customers including oil marketing public sector companies, commodity traders, multinational corporations, and large industrial plants in power, fertilizer, and petrochemical sectors. The company operates through six wholly-owned SPVs and counts Warburg Pincus as a PE investor since 2010.

Name

IMC

Legal name

IMC Limited

Website

https://imc.net.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

IMC Limited is India's leading independent port terminalling company, operating 22 bulk liquid storage terminals across 14 major Indian ports with over 1 million KL capacity, serving public sector oil companies, commodity traders, multinational corporations, and large industrial customers in petroleum, petrochemical, and power sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Port Terminalling and Bulk Liquid Storage

NAICS

Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals (424710), Pipeline Transportation of Refined Petroleum Products (486910)

SIC

Wholesale-Petroleum Bulk Stations & Terminals (5171)

akta.pro primary industry

Liquid Bulk Petroleum Terminals (Crude, Refined Products) (TLAHABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bulk Terminal Services & Operations (Stevedoring, Sampling, Weighing, Blending) (TLAHABAO), Marine Terminals & Port Storage (Jetties, Docking, Bunkering Interfaces) (EUALAEAG), Liquid Bulk Chemical & Petrochemical Terminals (Base Chemicals, Solvents) (TLAHABAI), Bulk Transloading & Intermodal Bulk Transfer Facilities (Rail/Truck/Conveyor/Barge) (TLAHABAN), Dry Bulk Commodity Terminals (Grain, Coal, Ore, Fertilizer) (TLAHABAA)

Keywords

• Port terminalling services
• Bulk liquid storage
• Dry bulk cargo terminals
• International commodity trading
• Port infrastructure development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chennai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Bulk Liquid Storage Services: Third-party bulk liquid storage services at major Indian ports for petroleum products, petrochemicals, liquefied gases, acids and vegetable oils. Revenue generated through terminal charges based on storage capacity utilized.
2. Operations and Maintenance Services: O&M services for liquid and dry bulk terminals including petroleum products storage, industrial bulk liquid terminals, aviation fuel farm terminals, and dry bulk cargo handling for power, fertilizer and petrochemical plants.
3. International Trading: Export and import of commodities including molasses (largest merchant exporter from India), agro commodities, petroleum products, chemicals, sugar, iron ore and fuel oils.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

IMC Limited operates 22 tank terminals across 14 major Indian ports providing third-party bulk liquid storage for petroleum products, liquefied gases, petrochemicals, acids, and vegetable oils, with combined capacity exceeding 1 million KL. The company also runs dry bulk cargo terminals (notably a 4.5 MTPA facility at Kandla), offers Operations & Maintenance services for liquid and dry bulk terminals, develops port infrastructure on BOT/BOOT/BOO basis, and conducts international trading of molasses, agro commodities, sugar, iron ore, and petroleum products as the largest merchant exporter of molasses from India.

Product overview

IMC (Indian Molasses Company) operates as a platform of interconnected port infrastructure and logistics services. The core offerings consist of: (1) Liquid Storage Division providing bulk liquid tank storage at 22 terminals across 14 major Indian ports with over 1 million KL capacity; (2) Dry Bulk Division for cargo terminal development and operations at ports like Kandla; (3) International Trading as the largest merchant exporter of molasses from India, also trading sugar, iron ore, petroleum products and agro commodities; and (4) Operations & Maintenance Services for liquid and dry bulk terminals. The company also operates multiple Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) including Ennore Tank Terminals, JRE Infra, AVR Infra, IMCOLA Cranes, Chennai Bunkering Terminal, and Kandla Oil Terminal. IMC's infrastructure development projects operate on BOT/BOOT/BOO basis, with recent expansion including the EQ-10 Liquid Terminal at Visakhapatnam Port.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Liquid Storage Division Bulk liquid tank storage services at major Indian ports for petroleum products, liquefied gases, petrochemicals, organic and inorganic acids, vegetable oils and fats. Operates 22 tank terminals across 14 ports for public sector companies, traders, multinational corporations, and industrial customers.
• Dry Bulk Division Development and operation of dry cargo terminals including the Multi-purpose Cargo Terminal No.15 at Kandla Port operated on BOT basis for 30 years. Provides mechanized discharge, loading, and storage facilities for dry bulk cargo with handling capacity exceeding 4.5 MTPA and capability to handle vessels up to 75,000 DWT.
• Operations and Maintenance Services O&M services for liquid and dry bulk terminals, including petroleum product storage and marketing terminals, industrial bulk liquid terminals, aviation fuel farm terminals at airports, and dry bulk cargo handling at power plants. Uses in-house qualified and trained manpower, with capability to handle Panamax ships and load 70 rail wagons (1,400 metric tonnes) in less than 5 hours.
• International Trading Export and import of commodities including molasses (largest merchant exporter from India), agro commodities, sugar, iron ore, petroleum products, chemicals, and fuel oils. Exports from ports including Mumbai, JNPT, Kandla, Goa, Karwar, Chennai, and Vizag; supplies imported fuel oils, molasses and alcohol in bulk to industrial customers at ports of their choice.
• Eastern Quay-10 (EQ-10) Liquid Terminal at Visakhapatnam Port Liquid terminal project developed on BOT basis for 30 years at Visakhapatnam Port, handling edible oils, bio diesel, Class B/C chemicals, acids, and other liquids. Includes 160-meter continuous quay, heating and refrigeration, coated and stainless steel tanks, and nitrogen blanketing; capacity scales from 18,000 KL up to 100,000 KL.
• Infrastructure Development (BOT/BOOT/BOO) Development of port-based infrastructure projects on BOT, BOOT, and BOO basis, including liquid terminals, dry bulk terminals, and general cargo terminals at Indian ports. Includes consortium-based project execution with 30-year concession periods.

Quantifiable outcome

• Handle vessels up to 75000 DWT at dry bulk terminal
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Royal Vopak: Global market leader in independent bulk liquid tank storage with terminals across major ports worldwide, including India. Closest comparable by business model (third-party multi-product liquid bulk storage) and customer base (oil majors, traders, chemicals).
• Oiltanking: One of the world's largest independent tank storage operators for petroleum, chemicals and gases. Direct peer to IMC on core service line, product mix, and reliance on port-based terminal infrastructure.
• Aegis Logistics: Indian bulk liquid logistics and LPG company operating storage terminals, bunkering, and gas distribution. Closest domestic peer to IMC by geography, customer base (PSUs, traders) and product mix (petroleum, chemicals, gases).
• Stolt-Nielsen: Global leader in bulk liquid chemical storage and transportation with deep tank terminal network. Comparable to IMC on the petrochemical and specialty liquids storage side of the business.

Broad incumbents

• GATX Corporation: Global railcar lessor with significant tank storage operations across multiple geographies. Overlaps with IMC on industrial bulk liquid storage but operates a broader transportation-asset portfolio.
• Adani Ports & SEZ: India's largest port operator handling container, bulk, liquid and gas cargo across multiple Indian ports. Comparable to IMC on port footprint and Indian terminal operations, but with a far broader cargo mix and asset base.
• DP World: Global port operator with Indian operations including container and bulk terminals. Adjacent to IMC's port-terminalling business model but focused on containerized cargo and integrated logistics rather than liquid bulk storage.
• Indian Oil Corporation: State-owned oil major that owns and operates captive petroleum and LPG storage terminals across India. Competes with IMC for PSU storage contracts and represents both a customer and a competitor for terminal capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 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 IMC