Rafaela Aponte-Diamant built her fortune with her husband Gianluigi Aponte through MSC, the family shipping business that began with a single vessel in 1970. [1][2]
Building MSC
Forbes says Rafaela and Gianluigi Aponte entered shipping together in 1970 after buying a ship with a $200,000 loan. MSC's own history describes Gianluigi as the founder who started the company in 1970 and expanded it from a one-vessel operation into one of the world's largest container shipping lines. [1][2]
MSC now reports a fleet of about 1,000 cargo vessels, 675 offices in 155 countries and more than 200,000 employees across the wider group. Its activities extend beyond ocean freight into inland logistics, port terminals and passenger businesses. [3]
A public ownership mismatch
Forbes's 2026 profile still describes Rafaela and Gianluigi as each owning 50% of MSC. MSC, however, announced in April 2026 that ownership of Mediterranean Shipping Company had transferred from Gianluigi to their children Diego and Alexa during the final quarter of 2025. Those public descriptions do not fully reconcile, so the exact current family ownership split is not clear from these sources. [1][4]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Aug 28, 2026.
- Rafaela Aponte-Diamant · Forbes · Mar 10, 2026
- Captain Gianluigi Aponte, Group Chairman · MSC
- About Us · MSC
- MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company Announces Ownership Transfer · MSC · Apr 13, 2026
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