MSC invests in Ukrainian inland logistics

Swiss-based Medlog, a growing inland cargo business of the world’s largest liner, Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), has made its entry into Ukrainian logistics.

Local media report Medlog has bought 50% of the Ukrainian intermodal logistics operator N’UNIT (New Ukrainian Network of Intermodal Terminals) and a 25% stake in the cross-border terminal Mostyska.

The transaction involves a local businessman, Yegor Grebennikov, co-owner of the TIS Group and founder of N’UNIT, who will, following the transaction, hold 50% of N’UNIT and 25% in the Mostyska terminal, while the remaining 50% will continue to be owned by Lemtrans, a company linked to another Ukrainian businessman, Rinat Akhmetov.

N’UNIT operates four intermodal terminals located in Vyshneve near Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and the Lviv region, while the terminal at Mostyska plays a substantial role in rail freight operations at the Ukrainian-Polish border.

Forbes Ukraine, which broke the news, has estimated the purchase price to be between $15m and $30m. The deal marks the first announced acquisition by a large international logistics company involving Ukrainian rail freight assets since the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine.