Ennore Port

Ennore Port, located about 24 km north of Chennai Port, Chennai, India is the 12th major port of India, and the first port in India which is a public company. [http://www.ennoreport.gov.in Official site of Ennore Port] ] Ennore Port, designed as Asia’s energy port, has only 16 employees. Hailed as a landmark port, it is the first corporatized port in India. Envisaged as a satellite port to decongest and improve the environmental quality at the bustling Chennai Port, Ennore Port is evolving itself into a full-fledged port with the capacity to handle a wide range of products.Operating on a landlord port concept, it is outsourcing all services required for operation and maintenance, and new terminals are being developed with the participation of the private sector. [http://www.adb.org/Documents/Periodicals/ADB_Review/2003/vol35_6/profitable_ports.asp Profitability of Ennore Port] ] During the year of 2006, it handled a total cargo of 10.7 million tons. The port has effectively taken over all the ore movement from the Chennai Port.

The port has adequate road and rail links. The Port has obtained an in-principle approval from Southern Railways for providing rail connectivity to coal and iron ore stackyards. Ennore Port Limited (EPL) is also developing an 8-lane Northern Express Road, which would link the Port with the National Highway No. 5. It has a 560-meter (m) long coal wharf for berthing two Panamax size vessels and fully mechanized systems for handling 16 million tons of cargo a year. Designed as a world-class port, with two breakwaters—one in the north measuring 3,080 m and the other in the south measuring 1,070 m with a depth of 15m — it has the capacity to develop 22 berths for handling a variety of bulk, liquid, and container cargo. The port is an artificial port and has several modern features including all weather round the clock operations, a large back-up land, eco-friendly environment, state of the art navigational facilities, well organized logistics systems and transport interface. The highway authority is implementing the project for construction of 30 km segment of Chennai-Ennore Port Connectivity.

The Planning Commission has approved a rail connectivity for Ennore Port to the Coal, Iron and Container Terminals. There is a $230 million expansion for the Port in progress. An Iron Ore terminal is currently in the process of construction by PSA Sical. [http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200704020312.htm Ennore Port Iron Ore Terminal] ] The terminal will have a capacity for 12 million tonnes of cargo per year, expandable to 15/20 million tonnes per year. Facilities include a jetty, ship loader, mechanized handling system with conveyor, storage, and a wagon unloading system. Ennore Port is expanding its cargo handling capacity to 87 million tonnes (mt) a year in the next five years as mandated by the Union Government, according to a press release from Ennore Port Ltd.

Though Ennore Port started as a dirty port to take over the coal and oar handling from the Chennai Port, it has suggested a proposal for a modern container terminal. The facility would have a capacity to handle 1.5 million TEUs (18 mt). The shipping industry has been evincing keen interest in this project because of its massive potential and proposed world class standards. The port has started competing with the Chennai Port on handling of container traffic [ [http://www.livemint.com/2008/04/17010429/Chennai-Ennore-ports-fight-fo.html Competition between Ports for Container Traffic] ] . Recently, the Nissan-Renault car manufacturing company picked it over the Chennai Port for the car exports [ [http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/08/31/stories/2008083151120300.htm Car export for Nissan-Renault] ] . To facilitate this, a $320 million expansion has been approved and will commence by March 2009 [ [http://en.portnews.ru/digest/814/ Container Terminal in Ennore Port] ] . The port is also planning to build a four-lane road linking the new terminal with national highway NH-5.

It is awaiting the Centre's permission to start a capital dredging work. [http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/bline/2007/04/03/stories/2007040301862100.htm Ennore Port to boost cargo handling] ] There is a SEZ coming up near the port covering 3000 acres to take advantage of the proximity to the port. It is for engineering, information technology, auto components, garments and leather products. It would have container freight station facilities and free trade warehousing zone. [http://www.tidco.com/sez2.html Ennore SEZ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.ennoreport.gov.in Official site of Ennore Port]
* [http://www.tidco.com/sez2.html Ennore Special Economic Zone]