Business
Adani acquires India’s largest marine services company Ocean Sparkle
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 per cent stake in Ocean Sparkle Ltd (OSL), India’s leading third-party marine services provider.
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 Rs 1,700 crore with Rs 300 crore of free cash in the company. The company was established in 1995 by a group of marine technocrats with 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 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.
OSL’s attractive capital structure, quality operations and sustainable cash flows are reflected in its attractive credit rating (AA- by ICRA). The Company is expected to have revenue of INR Rs 600 crore, EBITDA of Rs 310 crore and PAT of Rs 135 crore in FY22. Around 92 per cent of OSL’s total revenue was contributed by marine services (Towage & Pilotage), and the remaining 8 per cent is from dredging and other offshore services combined. The net debt to EBITDA ratio is less than 1x. APSEZ’s acquisition of OSL concluded at an attractive EV/ FY23E EBITDA of 5.7x.
On the back of operational and financial synergies, the consolidated revenue and EBITDA of Adani Harbour Services is expected to jump ~100 per cent and reach around Rs 5,000 crore and Rs 4,000 crore respectively by FY27.
Business
ED arrests real estate firm MD in PMLA case, accused sent to 14-day custody

New Delhi, Nov 15: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Ocean Seven Buildtech Pvt. Ltd. (OSBPL) Managing Director Swaraj Singh Yadav after conducting searches at nine locations across Delhi-NCR and other regions in a money-laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, an agency statement said on Saturday.
The action stems from allegations that Yadav diverted and laundered funds collected from homebuyers across multiple projects, including those under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
The searches on Thursday led to the recovery of Rs 86 lakh in cash, suspected to be proceeds of crime, along with incriminating documents and digital evidence.
According to the ED, Yadav orchestrated a large-scale diversion of homebuyer funds through fraudulent cancellation and resale of units at inflated prices, cash-based premiums collected outside banking channels, and misuse of escrow accounts.
He allegedly routed substantial sums into shell entities and concealed cash proceeds with relatives, the ED statement said.
Investigators also found a pattern of rapid liquidation of assets held personally and through company entities in Gurugram, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, which the agency believes was intended to secure illicit gains and evade legal scrutiny.
His wife and children have already relocated to the United States, the probe revealed.
The agency said Yadav operated a dual-payment mechanism in the resale of PMAY flats and even in the sale of parking spaces — routing only nominal amounts through banks while collecting the bulk in cash. These activities form part of a wider probe linked to multiple FIRs alleging cheating, forgery, and other predicate offences.
Following his arrest, Yadav was produced before the Court of ASJ-06 at Patiala House Courts on Friday, in compliance with Supreme Court directions.
After detailed submissions from both sides and a pass-over granted to allow him legal assistance, the court sent him to ED custody for 14 days, until November 28.
The agency has been directed to produce him before the court at 2 p.m. on the date of expiry of remand.
The ED said it is pursuing further investigation to trace, freeze, and attach assets acquired from the laundered funds, to ensure recovery and restitution to affected homebuyers.
Business
IndiGo to start flights from Navi Mumbai International Airport from Dec 25

Mumbai, Nov 15: Low-cost airline IndiGo on Saturday announced flight operations from the newly-opened Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) starting December 25, connecting the airport to 10 cities across the country.
IndiGo will connect the future-ready airport to 10 cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, North Goa (Mopa), Jaipur, Nagpur, Cochin, and Mangalore, the airline said in a statement.
The airline said it plans to expand operations at NMIA progressively by adding direct routes to more destinations in due course.
NMIA, the second airport in the Mumbai metropolitan area, is designed to complement Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and meet growing demand for air travel from India’s financial capital.
NMIA is expected to enhance regional connectivity and support economic development in western India due to its strategic location.
By enhancing regional connectivity and supporting economic development in western India, the launch of IndiGo’s operations will connect the airport to its vast domestic network of 95 airports across the country, it added.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, as a major achievement in India’s economic development and “a symbol of Bharat’s aspirations”.
PM Modi said that Mumbai welcomed its second international airport, marking a significant milestone in its journey to becoming Asia’s premier connectivity hub. “Through this new airport, the farmers of Maharashtra will be able to connect with supermarkets in Europe and the Middle East as well,” he observed.
NMIA will ease congestion at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and significantly increase India’s aviation capacity.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport Private is designed to accommodate both domestic and international passengers, featuring state-of-the-art facilities. It includes a 3,700-metre runway capable of handling large commercial aircraft, modern passenger terminals, and advanced air traffic control systems.
Business
Stock markets end week on a strong note as NDA secures landmark win in Bihar

Mumbai, Nov 15: Indian equity markets ended the week on a strong note, with benchmark indices gaining on the resolution of the US government shutdown, supported by strong domestic fundamentals, better-than-expected Q2 earnings, easing inflation and NDA’s historic victory in Bihar, according to analysts.
Record-low October inflation reinforced expectations of an RBI rate cut, adding momentum to domestic equities.
According to Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, sectoral momentum was broad-based, led by gains in IT, Pharma, healthcare and Auto stocks.
“Toward the week’s close, the NDA’s Bihar election victory bolstered investor confidence, but fading expectations of a U.S. Fed rate cut triggered profit booking in IT stocks, tempering their earlier gains,” he mentioned.
The indices remained under pressure for most of the session on Friday, oscillating between losses and brief recoveries, before a strong late-afternoon rebound pushed them into the green.
Volatility picked up as markets tracked the Bihar election outcome, the day’s key trigger.
Sentiment was also weighed down by weak global cues after Wall Street fell sharply overnight, led by declines in Nvidia and other tech majors as investors dialled back hopes of near-term rate cuts amid lingering inflation worries, according to a note by Bajaj Broking Research.
At close, the Sensex ended 84 points or 0.1 per cent higher at 84,563, while the Nifty finished 31 points up at 25,910. Sectoral trends were mixed, with PSU banks leading gains at 1.17 per cent, followed by firm moves in pharma and FMCG.
Energy and infrastructure saw mild upticks. On the downside, IT declined 1.03 per cent, while auto, metal, and realty ended lower.
Among the broader market space, Nifty Small-cap 100 rose 0.38 per cent, while the Midcap 100 gained 0.08 per cent.
According to analysts, Nifty on the weekly chart has formed a strong bull candle with a higher high and a higher low signaling pullback after two weeks of corrective decline, “in line with our expectations from the key support area of 25,400-25,300”.
Going ahead, bias continues to remain positive and a follow through strength above last month high of 26,100 will open upside towards the previous all-time high of 26,277 in the coming week.
Looking ahead, market direction will hinge on key macro triggers such as India’s PMI data, US jobless claims, FOMC minutes and progress on US–India trade negotiations.
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