Within just a few hours in the second week of July 2024, the MSC Group secured approvals for three acquisitions in sectors beyond container transport but strategic for its future development: publishing and rail transport in Italy, and maritime vehicle transport in Norway. In the publishing sector, MSC signed a preliminary agreement with Gedi to acquire the historic Genoese daily newspaper Secolo XIX, which also includes specialized transport publications such as L'Avvisatore Marittimo, The MediTelegraph, Automazione Navale, and Tecnologie per il Mare & Trasporti. To facilitate these acquisitions, MSC established the publishing company Blue Media. MSC noted that the completion of this transaction is expected by September 2024.
In Trieste, the necessary union agreement for the transfer of the former Wartsila plant in Bagnoli della Rosandra to the MSC Group has been ratified. MSC intends to use the facility to produce railway cars, aiming to reach an annual production of one thousand units within thirty-six months, employing approximately three hundred people. The operation is scheduled to close on July 29.
The Aponte family's group also made a significant advance in acquiring the Norwegian company Gram Car Carriers, specializing in maritime vehicle transport. MSC submitted an offer of approximately 700 million dollars through its subsidiary Shipping Agencies Services and received antitrust approval in July. GCC operates a fleet of eighteen car carrier ships.
