In 1938, two Danish engineers, Henning Holck-Larsen and Søren Kristian Toubro, founded Larsen & Toubro in Bombay. Nearly nine decades later, Denmark is again looking to the city as the anchor of its commercial ties with India. Denmark’s Minister for Business and Competitiveness, Martin Lidegaard, visited Mumbai on November 2 to advance cooperation on maritime affairs, green shipping, technology, trade and investment. More than 60 Danish companies, from shipping and maritime technology to consumer goods, operate in Maharashtra.
“Denmark and Maharashtra are two economies of roughly the same size with a lot to offer each other,” Lidegaard said. He added that Denmark expects “commercial opportunities to expand with the coming EU-India free trade agreement.”
The port is at the heart of that relationship. Lidegaard toured APM Terminals Mumbai, also known as Gateway Terminals India, at Jawaharlal Nehru Port. The terminal is operated by APM Terminals, part of Denmark’s Maersk Group. There he discussed port operations, infrastructure development, and how green technologies could improve efficiency and sustainability. Maersk, headquartered in Mumbai, is also exploring a role in the development of Vadhavan Port. It has an MoU with port authorities to explore potential cooperation.
The minister met Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma to discuss Danish investments, the EU–India FTA and opportunities in the maritime and infrastructure sectors. At L&T, he met Indian conglomerates, shipping companies and Danish maritime and defence businesses. L&T Chairman S.N. Subrahmanyan was appointed Denmark’s Honorary Consul in Mumbai.
The money is already moving. In September, Novonesis announced a USD 600 million investment to expand its plant at Patalganga, near Mumbai. Danfoss, Hempel, Everllence and Alfa Laval run manufacturing facilities in the state, and Danfoss and Hove are preparing to set up new ones.
“I look forward to seeing Denmark’s cooperation with Maharashtra grow even further in the coming years,” Lidegaard said.
From L&T To Maersk: Why Mumbai Sits At The Centre Of Denmark’s India Push
