C Shivakumar
Chennai:
The Belgian port of Antwerp is vying for a share of the car cargo from Chennai which is slowly emerging as a global auto hub.
Chief Commercial Officer of Port of Antwerp Luc Arnouts told Express that a delegation lead by Antwerp governor Cathy Berx and port chairman Marc Van Peel started their visit from Chennai on Monday as they feel there is a huge potential in Chennai’s automobile market and Tamil Nadu’s leather sector.
We are in line to get car business from India and particularly Chennai, said Arnouts on the sidelines of a function organized by Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said Port Of Antwerp is also looking at leather sector as 50 per cent of country’s exports are from Chennai alone.
Interestingly, the visit of the delegation from Port of Antwerp comes in the wake of Ennore Port planning to export three lakh units of cars in the next two years. Firms like Toyota, Renault, Nissan and Ford are likely to export three lakh units from the Ennore port in the next 18 to 24 months, which is the full capacity of the port.
“Our port currently handles 1.2 million cars and we are planning to get more car businesses. We have visited Ennore Port and wanted to be a part in the development of the port,” says Arnouts. Interestingly, with a freight volume of 184 million tonnes Antwerp is the second-largest port in Europe. Its central location in the heart of the continent enables a huge market to be reached faster than any other way, making it very attractive for countries exporting to Europe.
Arnouts was amused when some businessmen highlighted the connectivity issues Chennai Port is facing. “We would like to share expertise in port management with Chennai port,” he says.
Interestingly, it is not only Chennai but Cuddalore which is making the Port of Antwerp interested. Last year the state signed an agreement with Engineers India Limited (EIL) in establishing petroleum, chemicals and petrochemical investment region (PCPIR) between Cuddalore and Nagapattinam. It is to be developed in an area of 318 square km along the coastal Cuddalore — Nagapattinam stretch.
“We are interested but the project is taking long time to get implemented,” says Arnouts. Interestingly, Port of Antwerp hosts the largest integrated chemical cluster in Europe with two of Europe’s 10 oil refineries and four steam crackers besides production sites of most major international chemical companies.
India generated 4.3 million tonnes of freight for Antwerp in 2012. Now the port is mounting a number of initiatives to attract even more Indian imports and exports.
Chennai:
The Belgian port of Antwerp is vying for a share of the car cargo from Chennai which is slowly emerging as a global auto hub.
Chief Commercial Officer of Port of Antwerp Luc Arnouts told Express that a delegation lead by Antwerp governor Cathy Berx and port chairman Marc Van Peel started their visit from Chennai on Monday as they feel there is a huge potential in Chennai’s automobile market and Tamil Nadu’s leather sector.
We are in line to get car business from India and particularly Chennai, said Arnouts on the sidelines of a function organized by Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said Port Of Antwerp is also looking at leather sector as 50 per cent of country’s exports are from Chennai alone.
Interestingly, the visit of the delegation from Port of Antwerp comes in the wake of Ennore Port planning to export three lakh units of cars in the next two years. Firms like Toyota, Renault, Nissan and Ford are likely to export three lakh units from the Ennore port in the next 18 to 24 months, which is the full capacity of the port.
“Our port currently handles 1.2 million cars and we are planning to get more car businesses. We have visited Ennore Port and wanted to be a part in the development of the port,” says Arnouts. Interestingly, with a freight volume of 184 million tonnes Antwerp is the second-largest port in Europe. Its central location in the heart of the continent enables a huge market to be reached faster than any other way, making it very attractive for countries exporting to Europe.
Arnouts was amused when some businessmen highlighted the connectivity issues Chennai Port is facing. “We would like to share expertise in port management with Chennai port,” he says.
Interestingly, it is not only Chennai but Cuddalore which is making the Port of Antwerp interested. Last year the state signed an agreement with Engineers India Limited (EIL) in establishing petroleum, chemicals and petrochemical investment region (PCPIR) between Cuddalore and Nagapattinam. It is to be developed in an area of 318 square km along the coastal Cuddalore — Nagapattinam stretch.
“We are interested but the project is taking long time to get implemented,” says Arnouts. Interestingly, Port of Antwerp hosts the largest integrated chemical cluster in Europe with two of Europe’s 10 oil refineries and four steam crackers besides production sites of most major international chemical companies.
India generated 4.3 million tonnes of freight for Antwerp in 2012. Now the port is mounting a number of initiatives to attract even more Indian imports and exports.
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