MSC Founding Family Plays Key Role in $23 Billion CK Hutchison Ports Deal

It has recently come to light that Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), a port operator owned by the Aponte family—the founders of MSC—is expected to acquire the majority of CK Hutchison's global container terminal portfolio, after a previous deal led by BlackRock was put on hold.

According to reports by the South China Morning Post and Bloomberg, under a restructured proposal, BlackRock will retain a 51% stake in two of Hutchison’s terminals in Panama—the ones that have attracted the most attention from the U.S. government—while the remaining 49% stake will go to TiL. Once the deal is completed, TiL will take over the daily operations of 43 terminals globally.

Sources familiar with the matter say that TiL will pay around $23 billion, including $19 billion in cash, for the transaction if it proceeds.

While the accuracy of these reports has not been independently confirmed, they do reflect the evolving nature of negotiations. If approved, the deal would mark one of the largest commercial transactions in the global shipping industry in decades.

MSC, the world’s largest container shipping line, boasts a capacity of over 6.3 million TEU, accounting for 20.2% of the global market. Its founder, Gianluigi Aponte, has a net worth exceeding $33.1 billion, and his family maintains deep roots in the maritime industry.

Aponte, known for his discreet demeanor and slender, silver-haired appearance, rarely speaks publicly or gives interviews. His companies do not publish financial reports or strategic updates.

Nevertheless, he is a prominent member of a European elite group of shipping magnates who accumulated massive wealth during the pandemic and have since continued expanding their empires.

This group includes:

The Maersk-Uggla family behind Denmark’s AP Moller-Maersk A/S,

Germany’s richest man, Klaus-Michael Kühne, who owns 30% of Hapag-Lloyd, and

Rodolphe Saadé and his family, who control CMA CGM SA.

According to the company’s website, the Aponte family’s maritime heritage dates back to 1675. Gianluigi Aponte was born near the Bay of Naples, where his family traditionally transported goods and passengers. Trained as a sea captain, he later ran ferries carrying wealthy tourists to island resorts such as Capri and Ischia—on one of these trips, he met his future wife, Rafaela Diamant, the daughter of a Swiss banker.

In 1970, Aponte purchased an old German bulk carrier and founded MSC, acquiring a second ship the following year, which he named after his wife.

He quickly began buying used container vessels, some from scrapyards, aiming to enter a sector dominated by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd. By serving under-served trade routes and focusing on competitive pricing rather than delivery speed, MSC carved out a niche for itself.

In the late 1980s, Aponte expanded into the leisure market, developing MSC Cruises, now the world’s third-largest cruise line. Like his European shipping peers, he invested heavily in ports and logistics infrastructure.

Fueled by pandemic-era profits, MSC rapidly expanded, and by 2022, it had achieved Aponte’s long-time goal of becoming the world’s largest container shipping company, overtaking Maersk.

In 2014, Aponte’s son Diego Aponte became Group President of MSC. However, industry executives say Aponte Sr. remains highly involved in operations as Group Chairman, with decision-making still tightly controlled within the family.

According to TiL’s website, which is headquartered in Geneva, Diego Aponte serves as Chairman of the Board, while his father is also a board member. TiL’s shareholders include MSC, BlackRock’s GIP, and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC.