Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL) has signed a long-term agreement with Isuzu Motors India Private Limited (IMIPL) for the export of commercial vehicles through its General Cargo Berth.
The new agreement, which extends the previous one by five years, sees the Japanese manufacturer is all set to get discounted wharfage linked to export volumes. Wharfage simply refers to a set of fees that port authorities charge exporters to handle goods at their wharfs.
This marks an important point in Isuzu Motors' export relationship with the port, which began back in 2019.
Isuzu's vehicle exports from Kamarajar are mainly sourced from its Rs 3,000 crore Sri City plant in Andhra Pradesh, built in 2016.
Three years later, the plant scaled up operations and began exporting its D-Max and S-Cab models via the Tamil Nadu-based port, located less than three hours away.
From the Ennore port, the vehicles would be routed to key markets in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan.
The port's position on India's southeastern coast also made it one of the closest and most economically viable options for Isuzu—one of the main reasons why the export agreement has been extended.
"This partnership marks another significant milestone in strengthening Isuzu's global supply chain while reaffirming Kamarajar Port Limited's position as a preferred gateway for automobile exports," the KPL said in a statement on X.
Why this matters
This is a major boost for the Kamarajar Port, which became the first in India to handle automobile transshipment operations lesss than a year ago.
Since then, automobile exports have emerged as one of the strongest growth segments across the Chennai-Kamarajar cluster, with the Kamarajar Port's 1.91 lakh automobile exports taking its FY 2025-26 cargo throughput to 49.08 million metric tonnes.
This has also led to a call for larger vehicle carriers at the port. In that regard, the port also logged a major milestone in May this year, when it welcomed the MV Höegh Aurora (IMO: 9962677), the world's largest and most environmentally friendly PCTC vessel.
Operated by Höegh Autoliners, this Aurora-class RoRo ship boasts a capacity of more than 9,000 car equivalent units and an LNG dual-fuel propulsion system.
