Chennai Port Trust (ChPT) has scored over three ports in the south to bag a contract from Kia Motors to handle the exports of the South Korean carmaker.
“It is a tremendous win for us as we had to compete with well-known ports in the south,” said P. Raveendran, chairman, ChPT.
“This win has given us the confidence to develop car exports from ChPT in a big way,” he said.
Ever since Kia Motors announced its readiness to roll out cars from its Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh, Kamarajar Port, L&T Kattupalli Port and Krishnapatnam Port began pitching for the logistics contract.
“We thought that Krishnapatnam and Kamarajar ports had the edge over us due to their proximity to the plant and the latter being the leader in car exports. L&T Kattupalli, being a private port, also enjoyed several advantages. However, we were able to win over them,” said a ChPT official.
“Right now, we have a 10-year contract with Hyundai Motor Company. This is also a long-term contract. Apart from Kia Motors, we will also enter into an agreement with Glovis India, the logistics partner of Kia Motors. They will be responsible for bringing the cars from the factory to the Chennai Port,” Mr. Raveendran said.
“Kia Motors is expected to start exporting cars in the next few weeks,” he added. “We are not going to stop with this. We are developing a big parking area as some more automobile firms have evinced keen interest to use our facility for export of cars,” he added.
Passenger cruise
Meanwhile, ChPTennai Port Trust is also toying with the idea of operating a passenger cruise from Chennai to Puducherry during weekends.
“It would be a two-day programme involving a visit to Mamallapuram lighthouse, Puducherry beach and other important tourist places in the union territory before heading back to Chennai. We have invited prospective tour operators and they are yet to give their proposals,” he said.