HES International and Marcegaglia are pleased to announce the initiation of a strategic dialogue aimed at developing a long-term collaboration at Fos sur Mer. Under this potential partnership, HES would provide deep-sea terminal infrastructure and operational support for the import of raw materials and export of finished steel products for Marcegaglia’s evolving site.
At Fos sur Mer, Marcegaglia is undertaking a major industrial redevelopment of the former Ascometal site, which has been designated a Project of Major National Interest by the French government. The €800 million investment will transform the facility into a state-of-the-art, lowcarbon steel production hub. Once complete, the site is expected to reach a production capacity of ~2 million tons per year.
The leadership of both companies met on 15 and 16 July 2025 onsite in Fos sur Mer to explore various scenarios for handling infrastructure, dedicated equipment, and storage solutions at the HES FOS terminal. These discussions represent an important step toward building a robust and efficient logistics interface between the two sites.
Antonio Marcegaglia, CEO of Marcegaglia, commented: “We are delighted to work with HES International in Fos sur Mer. Their expertise in deep-sea terminal operations is a key enabler for our ambitious expansion and supply chain security and reliability.”
Paul van Gelder, CEO of HES International, added: “We are excited to become the logistics partner of Marcegaglia in Fos sur Mer. This further anchors HES’s ambition to be the preferred deep-sea terminal operator for industrial players across Europe, supporting their growth and sustainability goals.”
A joint project team has been established and is actively working on planning and feasibility. Both parties aim to reach a Final Investment Decision (FID) by Q2 2026.
HES International is the leading European seaport infrastructure operator for dry and liquid bulk products. Our companies hold a unique independent position in the supply chain of bulk goods for a wide range of products providing first class access to Europe's deep draft terminals and excellent hinterland connectivity by barge, rail and truck. With 14 terminals in 4 countries at strategic located ports in Europe we are an important switch in the continuous delivery of essential building blocks for our everyday life needed to develop, sustain and improve the world around us. Our professional staff ensure that bulk commodities are safely stored, handled and processed 24/7 for customers from all corners of the globe. We have a strong ambition to further broaden our product portfolio and also want to respond optimally to the opportunities that the energy transition offers us.
HES International is headquartered in Rotterdam and has already been carefully handling bulk raw materials since 1908. Macquarie Asset Management, via Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 5, and West Street Infrastructure Partners III, managed by the Goldman Sachs Asset Management Infrastructure business, each indirectly control 50% of the shares of HES International B.V.
Marcegaglia is a leading steel industry company, with worldwide implantation, and specialized in processing steel with high skills on service to customers.
6.5 million tons of steel are processed each year in the 36 sites of the Company, over 4 continents, with 7 800 staff.
This is also a family business created in 1959 in Italy, and now led by Antonio and his sister Emma Marcegaglia, with deep value of security, environmental and social responsibility (goals of 0 fatality, 0 emission).
The Group has taken over the Fos ex-Ascometal facility, specialized on log products f special steel to develop its production (from 150 000 tons per year to 2.1 million tons), as hub of production of flat hot rolled coils especially for the facilities of Ravenna and Gazoldo in northern Italy. 100% of the incoming material and huge majority of the output will transit between the plant and the Port by train for sea transportation.
This project of vertical upstream integration of a steel primary facility into the Marcegaglia industrial lay-out is a major project for the Group.