French port ties up with Seahorse Ship Agencies

Chennai: Le Havre, the second biggest port in France and the fifth biggest in north Europe, has tied up with Seahorse Ship Agencies, Mumbai, to expand its presence in India.

Pierre Yves Collardey, Commercial Director, Port of Le Havre, said Seahorse Ship Agencies would help his company detect hotspots in India to increase trade volumes.

“Last year, Chennai accounted for 93,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of containers to Europe, of which 10 per cent went to France. This number will increase significantly in the coming years. The agreement is to further develop trade and container flows between the two countries,” said R.R. Iyer, General Manager (Operations), Seahorse Ship Agencies.

Alain Poussier, director, Asia, Port of Le Havre, said: “The trade between the two countries is set to grow after the signing of a Free Trade Agreement between India and the European Union early next year. The FTA is important to develop traffic.”

As a deepwater seaport, Le Havre can handle all types of vessels round the clock without any tidal constraint, he added.

At least four of the 12 vessels of CMA-CGM, the third biggest world shipping line, sail to Le Havre from Chennai every week in rotation.