APSEZ Expands Global Marine Ambitions with European Subsea Push Through Astro Offshore

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ) is strengthening its global marine and offshore ambitions with a major expansion into Europe’s subsea and deepwater operations market through its marine platform, Astro Offshore.

The company announced that Astro Offshore has entered into a contract with Oceaneering International Inc., a US-based engineering and applied technology company, to pursue specialised offshore and subsea opportunities across Europe.

The development marks a significant milestone for APSEZ as it accelerates efforts to build one of the world’s largest integrated marine platforms while expanding its presence in international offshore infrastructure and ultra-deepwater operations.

APSEZ Expands into Europe’s Offshore and Subsea Market

The agreement represents APSEZ’s strategic entry into Europe’s specialised subsea engineering sector — an industry that supports critical offshore energy and marine infrastructure projects.

Subsea operations typically involve highly advanced underwater engineering activities such as:

• cable laying
• pipeline installation
• underwater construction
• inspection and maintenance
• deepwater intervention projects

These projects require sophisticated vessels, advanced remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems, and complex offshore operational expertise.

Through the collaboration with Oceaneering International, Astro Offshore aims to strengthen its deepwater engineering capabilities and offshore execution capacity in Europe.

The partnership combines Astro Offshore’s expanding fleet infrastructure with Oceaneering’s expertise in deepwater engineering and remotely operated technologies.

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APSEZ Adds First Ultra-Deepwater Vessel

As part of this expansion, Astro Offshore is significantly strengthening its fleet capabilities with the addition of Energy Savanah, which will be renamed Astro Atlas.

The vessel becomes Astro Offshore’s first ultra-deepwater vessel and represents a major step in the company’s long-term fleet modernization strategy.

Built in 2021, Astro Atlas is a 97-metre DP2 multipurpose support vessel designed for complex offshore operations.

The vessel is equipped with:

• a 150-tonne subsea active heave compensated (AHC) crane
• a 25-tonne secondary crane
• moonpool capabilities
• accommodation for up to 100 personnel

The vessel is designed to support a wide range of offshore and underwater operations including:

• subsea construction
• cable laying
• pipeline installation
• deepwater marine infrastructure projects

Importantly, Astro Atlas can operate in water depths exceeding 3,000 metres, allowing Astro Offshore to enter the ultra-deepwater segment and access more technically demanding offshore projects.

Its advanced DP2 positioning system is designed to support safe and efficient operations even in challenging offshore environments.

APSEZ Strengthens Global Marine Strategy

The latest development aligns closely with APSEZ’s broader long-term strategy of building a globally diversified marine and offshore infrastructure platform.

The company has been steadily expanding beyond traditional port operations into:

• marine logistics
• offshore support services
• underwater engineering
• deepwater infrastructure solutions

Commenting on the development, Ashwani Gupta, Whole-time Director and Chief Executive Officer of APSEZ, said the partnership supports the company’s ambition to build a globally diversified marine platform.

He noted that combining Astro Offshore’s expanding high-specification fleet with Oceaneering’s deepwater engineering expertise will enhance APSEZ’s capabilities in complex offshore operations while strengthening its expansion into European markets.

Astro Offshore Focuses on High-Spec Fleet Expansion

Mark Humphreys, CEO of Astro Offshore, said the introduction of Astro Atlas significantly enhances the company’s operational capability and reflects continued investment in a modern, high-specification fleet focused on ultra-deepwater operations.

According to Humphreys, the vessel is currently the company’s largest and most capable offshore asset, enabling Astro Offshore to support a wider range of complex offshore projects and respond more effectively to evolving client demands.

Astro Offshore has increasingly positioned itself as a technology-focused offshore vessel operator serving the global energy and marine infrastructure sectors.

The Dubai-based company currently operates a fleet of over 50 vessels, including:

• multipurpose support vessels (MPSVs)
• diesel-electric platform supply vessels (PSVs)
• anchor handling tug supply vessels (AHTS)
• ballastable barges

The company operates across regions including:

• the Middle East
• Africa
• Asia

Additional fleet expansion projects are also expected in the coming months.

APSEZ Targets 200-Vessel Marine Fleet by FY31

The European subsea expansion also supports APSEZ’s aggressive long-term marine growth roadmap.

The company aims to build:

• a 200-vessel marine fleet
• marine revenue of ₹6,000 crore
• planned marine capex of ₹13,000 crore by FY31

This expansion is part of APSEZ’s effort to establish one of the world’s largest integrated marine ecosystems spanning:

• logistics
• offshore operations
• subsea engineering
• marine infrastructure services

The move also reflects how Indian infrastructure companies are increasingly expanding into high-value global engineering and offshore sectors.

APSEZ Continues Expanding Integrated Logistics Ecosystem

APSEZ, part of the Adani Group, currently operates one of India’s largest integrated transport and logistics ecosystems.

The company’s operations span:

• ports and terminals
• rail transport
• multimodal logistics parks
• warehousing
• road logistics
• international freight networks

APSEZ currently operates:

• 15 ports and terminals across India
• 4 international ports in Australia, Colombo, Israel, and Tanzania
• a marine fleet of 136 vessels
• 12 multimodal logistics parks
• more than 3.1 million sq. ft. of warehouse capacity

The company handles approximately 27% of India’s total port volumes and is targeting 1 billion tonnes of cargo throughput by 2030.

Growing Importance of Offshore and Subsea Infrastructure

Globally, demand for advanced offshore and subsea engineering capabilities is increasing as energy companies and infrastructure operators expand investments into:

• offshore energy
• subsea communication systems
• marine infrastructure development
• deepwater resource projects

As a result, companies with advanced offshore fleets and engineering capabilities are seeing growing strategic importance.

APSEZ’s expansion through Astro Offshore positions the company to participate more actively in this high-value international market.

Conclusion

The partnership between Astro Offshore and Oceaneering International Inc. marks an important step in APSEZ’s global marine expansion strategy.

With the addition of Astro Atlas and a stronger push into European subsea operations, APSEZ is steadily evolving from a port-focused infrastructure company into a broader integrated marine and offshore infrastructure player.

As offshore engineering, subsea infrastructure, and deepwater operations continue gaining importance globally, APSEZ’s marine ambitions appear increasingly aligned with long-term international infrastructure demand.