Vijay Singh
New Delhi [India], September 30: Global investment firm KKR on Tuesday said it will make a majority investment in Cisternina Logistics Pvt Ltd, a bulk liquid and gas storage and logistics business in India.
KKR said the investment will support Cisternina’s proposed acquisition of the liquid storage terminal and rail business of Ganesh Benzoplast Limited (GBL), which will serve as the platform’s anchor asset, as well as its expansion through further acquisitions and the development of new storage infrastructure across India.
Established in 2024, Cisternina will serve customers as an integrated platform across the energy, chemicals, bulk liquids and edible-oil sectors in India, it said in a statement.
The statement said GBL’s liquid storage terminal business operates one of India’s leading privately owned tank farms, established at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in the early 1990s, and today has a portfolio of approximately 500,000 KL of operating and under-construction storage capacity across strategic ports like JNPT, Cochin and Goa.
India’s coastal infrastructure handles approximately 95% of the country’s external trade by volume, while demand across key bulk-liquid categories is expected to grow steadily over the next decade, creating long-term demand for liquid storage and logistics infrastructure.
The statement noted that the market remains fragmented, with relatively few scaled, professionally managed, multi-location operators.
“With KKR’s investment and infrastructure expertise, Cisternina plans to scale through acquisitions, brownfield expansion and greenfield development, while investing in management capabilities, governance, operating systems and safety standards,” it said.
KKR is making the investment through its Asia Pacific infrastructure strategy. India is a key market for KKR’s infrastructure business, with experience spanning logistics, transportation, renewable energy and power transmission.
